Record numbers of air passengers and cargo touched down in or took off from Abu Dhabi and Dubai last month. Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) announced 1,008,228 arrivals and departures last month, breaking the million mark for the first time. The airports operator, which owns Abu Dhabi International Airport and Al Ain International Airport, saw an increase of 9.2 per cent in passenger numbers compared with the same month last year.
Ahmed al Haddabi, the senior vice president of airports operations at ADAC, said: "The traffic growth is a reflection of the interest Abu Dhabi is attracting from international markets and its strength as a connecting hub between the East and the West." He said the two largest increases in traffic were on routes that connect the UAE with the US and the Philippines. Cargo freight numbers were also up last month, increasing 25.5 per cent to 197,845 tons in Dubai and 12.3 per cent, to 36,755 tons, in Abu Dhabi.
The top five city destinations for Abu Dhabi's airport traffic last month were London, Bangkok, Cairo, Manila and Doha, together accounting for almost a fifth of all passengers. Dubai Airports saw a record 4.31 million passengers last month across the three airports it operates, including Dubai International Airport, an increase of 14.3 per cent, the company said. Kareem Murad, an aviation analyst at Shuaa Capital. "You're seeing the freight business increasing, but don't forget that a lot of the industry experienced a drop in trade last year."
@Email:gregor.hunter@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)