Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport rose 33.8 per cent annually in the first half of 2024, exceeding expectations as it attracted new airlines and expanded its destination network.
The Abu Dhabi hub, which is home to Gulf major Etihad Airways, handled 13.7 million passengers in the January to June period of this year, state-owned operator Abu Dhabi Airports said on Wednesday.
Passenger traffic across Abu Dhabi's five airports collectively increased 33.5 per cent annually in the first half of the year to 13.9 million passengers, according to the airport operator.
The performance “highlights the resilience of our teams, airline partners, and stakeholder community, as well as the robustness of our infrastructure during the peak operational season”, said Elena Sorlini, managing director and chief executive of Abu Dhabi Airports.
“We are enthusiastic about the future of Abu Dhabi’s tourism and trade prospects and the pivotal role our airports will play in boosting tourism and trade.”
Abu Dhabi has been making a major push to attract more international visitors to the emirate as it develops its non-oil sectors such as aviation, tourism and hospitality to diversify its economy from hydrocarbons.
Etihad Airways, which is based at Zayed International Airport, carried 8.7 million passengers in the first six months of 2024, a 38 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, as it continues to expand its route network amid soaring demand for air travel, it said this month.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline’s passenger load factor – a measure of how well an airline fills available seats – was at 85 per cent during the first half of the year.
In the second quarter of the year, Zayed International Airport added two new airlines: US Bangla with three weekly flights to Chittagong and four weekly flights to Dhaka, and British Airways serving London Heathrow daily.
The airport operator's network of destinations also expanded through the addition of year-round services to Sarajevo (by Wizzair Abu Dhabi), Chandigarh (by IndiGo), Jaipur, Antalya, Bali and Gassim (by Etihad) and Turbat (by Pakistan International Airline).
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi also added seasonal flights to Trabzon, while Etihad added summer flights to Nice, Mykonos, Santorini and Malaga.
In terms of air freight, the airport handled 254,300 tonnes of cargo in the year-to-date, it said. This compares with 259,461 tonnes of freight in the first half of 2023.
Global air cargo markets recorded an “exceptional” first half-year performance, with volumes exceeding even the record-breaking 2021 levels, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said this week.
“Maritime shipping constraints and a booming e-commerce sector are among the strongest growth drivers,” Willie Walsh, Iata's director general, said.
“The sector has remained largely impervious to ongoing political and economic challenges, and the US customs crackdown on e-commerce deliveries from China.”
Air cargo is on “solid ground” to continue its strong performance into the second half of 2024, according to Iata.
Middle Eastern airlines recorded 13.8 per cent year-on-year growth in air cargo demand in June, even as capacity increased 6.9 per cent.
The Middle East–Europe market performed particularly well with 30.2 per cent annual growth, ahead of Middle East–Asia which grew by 15.1 per cent year-on-year, Iata said.
Plastic tipping points
World Mental Health Day
Tomorrow 2021
On Women's Day
Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action
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Our commentary on Brexit
- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
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Our commentary on Brexit
- Alistair Burt: Despite Brexit, Britain can remain a world power
- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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The burning issue
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Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
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Plastic tipping point
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SPECS
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia
Fanar Haddad: The Iranian response will be gradual
The%20specs
War on waste
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The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?
Our commentary on Brexit
- Alistair Burt: Despite Brexit, Britain can remain a world power
- Sam Williams: Departure is influenced by its sense of place
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
Combating coronavirus
National editorial: global co-operation is key to beating coronavirus
National editorial: pandemic requires urgent action from world leaders
Nick March: the coronavirus dark cloud may have a silver lining
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Company%20profile
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
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• Could the UAE drive India's economy?
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• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture
• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Tomorrow 2021
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The%20specs
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Con Coughlin: Grandstanding in Turkey leads to terrorism in France
Con Coughlin: The terror threat in Europe remains as potent as ever
Sholto Byrnes: After Charlie Hebdo, is religion dividing the world?
Whiile you're here
Damien McElroy: Anti-science attitudes in America are proving lethal
Editorial: What makes the UAE such a good place to test vaccines?
Editorial: The fight against Covid-19 should be guided by science
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Simon Waldman: Nato continues to be Ankara’s best security guarantor
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Tomorrow 2021
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
The specs
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
Plastic tipping points
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Transgender report
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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