A record number of more than 12 million passengers passed through Abu Dhabi International Airport last year.
More airlines and routes helped passenger traffic to grow 13.9 per cent from 2010 to 12.4 million last year, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) reported.
"Abu Dhabi is bringing on additional tourism attractions and facilities, which helps drive traffic," said James Bennett, Adac's chief executive.
"Then, of course, our partner Etihad [Airways] continues to take delivery of new aircraft and expand its route network and form partnerships with other airlines. In July 2011 and every month since then has been over a million passengers a month."
Adac expects to make an announcement on plans for its Midfield Terminal Building next week, Mr Bennett said.
It was announced on Monday that the Abu Dhabi Executive Council had approved a raft of projects, including the vast terminal building, which is designed to become home to Etihad.
The building is part of a Dh25 million (US$6.8m) to Dh27m redevelopment and expansion plan for the airport as Abu Dhabi strives to accommodate burgeoning demand.
Mr Bennett said about half of the traffic passing through the airport was transit business. Further growth was anticipated this year, although challenges remained. "I imagine that this year we will certainly exceed 13 million passengers," he said.
"We tend to be conservative in our estimates because aviation is a very dynamic business.
"We're certainly keeping a watchful eye on what's going on with the global economy. If something does transpire, that's a short-term thing. When you look at aviation, you have to look at the long term and the long-term trend here for aviation is very positive."
Airspace issues also remained a challenge for the industry in the region, Mr Bennett said.
"As aviation continues to grow in the UAE, as well as in this region, we have to keep our eyes on the airspace capacity. The airspace that we have in this region can be a challenge and it's going to need some attention," he said.
"Oman has its system; UAE has a system; Saudi has a system; Qatar has a system. It's a lot of smaller systems that have to work together to get aeroplanes in and out of the air space and that sometimes can present a challenge."
Airline companies that started flying to and from Abu Dhabi last year include Cathay Pacific, Virgin Australia, and Czech Airlines.
Eight new destinations were added, including the Seychelles, Prague, Bangalore, and Chengdu.
Etihad announced this month it had carried a record 8.29 million passengers last year, up 17 per cent on 2010.
Cargo traffic at the airport rose 10 per cent last year from 2010, reaching 481,500 tonnes.
Dubai Airportsannounced on Tuesday it had achieved a record number of almost 51 million passengers passing through Dubai International Airport.
Mr Bennett said there was room for all the major hubs in the region to grow further.
"If you look geographically where we're located and what the airlines are doing, we're taking advantage of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. The Indian market is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, China, Asia, and Africa.
"What's happening here today is really no different than historically what's happened in places in Europe and North America over time," said Mr Bennett.
"Now these markets are emerging, the demand for air transportation is going up very, very rapidly. There's plenty of room for all of us."
rbundhun@thenational.ae
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.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eric%20Broug%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thames%20%26amp%3B%20Hudson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20336%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20September%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
