Abu Dhabi International Airport

Abu Dhabi International Airport (Arabic: مطار أبو ظبي الدولي‎‎) (IATA: AUH, ICAO: OMAA) is an international airport in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The airport, located 16.5 nautical miles (30.6 km; 19.0 mi) east of Abu Dhabi city, is the second largest in the UAE, serving around 20 million passengers in 2014. It has three operational passenger terminals—Terminal 1 (divided into Terminals 1A and 1B), Terminal 2, Terminal 3. Abu Dhabi International Airport is spread over an area of 3,400 hectares (8,500 acres). Its terminal spaces are dominated by Etihad Airways, which is the United Arab Emirates' second largest air carrier after Emirates. More than 30 airlines offered service to over 120 destinations in more than 60 countries with non-stop services to all inhabited continents.[]

History

Early years

The Al Bateen Airport on Abu Dhabi Island previously served as Abu Dhabi's main airport and consisted of a single airstrip with minimal to this, smaller aircraft would land on an unsealed runway located not too far from Al Bateen, and the passengers would be processed in a tiny makeshift building. Limited flights were operated from Al Bateen and included flights to other Middle Eastern cities and Mumbai International Airport (then known as Bombay International Airport). After many years of operations, the airport was shifted to the mainland in 1982. Bateen Airport is presently used as a dedicated business jet airport.

The new airport included a circular satellite terminal (with aerobridges) with a single connection to a semi-circular terminal. This design allowed more aircraft to park simultaneously. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, substantial work was carried out on the satellite terminal, to cater for the increase in passenger numbers, including widening the passenger waiting areas and creating extra parking spots. The main terminal also underwent some external changes, especially on the outer facade. Additionally, Terminal 2 was created to relieve the pressure of the main terminal. Terminal 2, however, does not have aerobridges and uses buses to move passengers between aircraft and the terminal. Terminal 3, was constructed over the past five years and this is mainly used by Etihad.[]

During the early years of operation, there were no means of getting to the airport from the cities except for private vehicle or taxis. With the creation of Abu Dhabi's bus network, city-to-airport bus services were introduced.

Development since the 2000s

With the withdrawal of support for regional airline Gulf Air after nearly five decades, Etihad became the new airline to be based at the airport. It received full support from the UAE government and has come a long way since its inaugural flight in 2003. Previous Gulf Air CEO James Hogan also transferred to Etihad, bringing aviation industry knowledge and experience.

In December 2011, the government of Abu Dhabi signed a letter of intent to build a United States border preclearance facility similar to pre-clearance customs facilities in Canada, Aruba, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Ireland. Etihad operated its first flight to the U.S. from the facility January 25, 2014.

In 2011, the airport was awarded 2nd Best Airport in Middle East of the Airport Service Quality Awards by Airports Council International The airport celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012.

The new Terminal 3, a AED 1 billion (US$270 million) interim facility, was designed to allow for the airport's passenger growth before the planned opening of the new Midfield Terminal in December 2017. Used predominantly by Etihad Airways, the terminal boosted the airport's seven million passenger per year capacity to 12 million. It also added 10 new gates, two of which are Airbus A380 compatible.

Facilities

Expansion

Development work has started on a new passenger terminal, the main building and centerpiece of the new airport, to be between the two runways and known as the Midfield Terminal. Upon completion in 2017, the Midfield Terminal will increase the airport’s passenger capacity to more than 30 million per year, with options for this to double in capacity to 60 million. An additional facility is under consideration that would take the capacity to 80 million.

The expansion master plan projects include a third 4,100 m (13,500 ft) parallel runway, 2,000 m (6,562 ft) from the existing runways, a new 110 m (360 ft) tower between the two runways with the new Air Traffic Control centre, enhanced cargo and maintenance facilities, and other commercial developments on the land immediately adjacent to and north of the airport.

Having a total of 34 square kilometres (13 sq mi) of vast land area, the ambitious project will provide a home base for the UAE's national carrier, Etihad Airways, which will be a major user of new cargo facilities with an ultimate handling capacity of around two million tonnes of freight a year. Close to the new cargo facilities, land has been allocated for commercial activities, business parks, and property developments. Aircraft maintenance facilities will continue to be concentrated on the south side of the existing airport. The plan sets aside land for the growth of other operators such as Royal Jet and Abu Dhabi Aviation.

Among other aspects of the project, when completed, are the design of remote aircraft stands complete with airfield ground lighting and hydrant fuel.

The general exterior of the terminal was designed by international architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

City terminal

A check-in facility exists in downtown Abu Dhabi, for travelers who want to check in before they fly. This facility, known as the City Terminal, resembles an airport and has lounge and transport facilities. After having checked-in at the City Terminal, travelers can arrive at the airport just one hour before the departure of their flight. A further check in facility is operated by Etihad Airways at the Etihad Travel Mall on the outskirts of Dubai.

Runways

Abu Dhabi International Airport has two parallel runways, 13R/31L and 13L/31R. Both are 4,100 m × 60 m (13,450 ft × 200 ft).

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Abu Dhabi:

Airlines Destinations Terminal
Air Berlin Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf 3
airblue Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar 1
Air India Mumbai 2
Air India Express Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram 2
Air Serbia Belgrade 3
Air Seychelles Mahé 3
Alitalia Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino 1
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Dhaka, Sylhet1 2
British Airways London-Heathrow 1
EgyptAir Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh 1
Etihad Airways Ahmedabad, Amman-Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Astana, Athens, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Basra, Beijing-Capital, Beirut, Belgrade, Brisbane, Brussels, Cairo, Casablanca, Chengdu, Chennai, Chicago-O'Hare, Colombo, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Dhaka, Doha, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Erbil, Frankfurt, Geneva, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul-Atatürk, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Jaipur, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Jeddah, Johannesburg-OR Tambo, Karachi, Kathmandu, Khartoum, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuwait, Lagos, Lahore, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mahé, Malé, Manchester, Manila, Medina, Melbourne, Minsk (ends 26 March 2017), Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nagoya-Centrair, Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Peshawar, Phuket, Rabat, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, San Francisco, São Paulo-Guarulhos (ends 26 March 2017), Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Sydney, Tehran-Imam Khomeini, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Venice, Washington-Dulles, Zürich 1, 3
FlyEgypt Alexandria-Borg el-Arab, Sohag 1
Flynas Jeddah, Riyadh 1
Gulf Air Bahrain 1
Jet Airways Ahmedabad (ends 1 February 2017), Bangalore, Chennai (ends 14 January 2017), Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Tiruchirappalli (begins 1 February 2017)
Seasonal: Goa (ends 1 February 2017)
1
KLM Amsterdam, Muscat (ends 25 March 2017) 1
Kuwait Airways Kuwait 1
Middle East Airlines Beirut 1
Niki Vienna 1
Oman Air Muscat 1
Pakistan International Airlines Gwadar, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot, Turbat 2
Philippine Airlines Manila 1
Qatar Airways Doha 1
Rotana Jet Bahrain, Beirut, Chittagong, Colombo, Dalma, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai-Al Maktoum, Hambantota, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Sir Bani Yas Island 2
Royal Jordanian Amman-Queen Alia 1
Saudia Jeddah, Riyadh 1
Shaheen Air International Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar 1
SriLankan Airlines Colombo 1
Sudan Airways Khartoum 1
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk, Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen 1
Virgin Australia Perth (begins 9 June 2017), Sydney (ends 4 February 2017) 3
Notes
  • ^1 Biman Bangladesh Airlines' flight from Abu Dhabi to Dhaka makes a stop at Sylhet. However, the flight from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi is non-stop.

Cargo

Airlines Destinations
Cargolux Luxembourg
DHL International Aviation ME Bagram, Bahrain, Karachi, Lahore
Etihad Cargo Addis Ababa, Ahmedabad, Almaty, Amsterdam, Bangalore, Beijing-Capital, Bogota, Brussels, Casablanca, Chennai, Chicago, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Djibouti, Doha, Eldoret, Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Hahn, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Houston, Johannesburg-OR Tambo, Khartoum, Kuwait, Lagos, Luxembourg, Milan-Malpensa, Mumbai, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Muscat, Nairobi, San Juan de Puerto Rico, Shanghai-Pudong, Sharjah, Singapore, Tbilisi, Zaragoza
Etihad Cargo
operated by AirBridgeCargo
Chicago, Houston, Luxembourg, Moscow-Sheremetyevo
Singapore Airlines Cargo Amsterdam, Chennai, Copenhagen, London-Heathrow, Sharjah, Singapore
Star Air Aviation Karachi

Busiest routes

Busiest International Routes to and from AUH (2015)
Rank Airport Passengers Annual Change Carriers
1 Doha 1,085,634 017.5% Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways
2 London–Heathrow 986,754 030.0% British Airways, Etihad Airways
3 Mumbai 816,560 040.5% Air India, Etihad Airways, Jet Airways
4 Muscat 806,784 05.6% Etihad Airways, KLM, Oman Air
5 Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi 794,856 021.6% Etihad Airways
6 Jeddah 785,674 018.8% Etihad Airways, Fly Nas, Saudia
7 Riyadh 752,694 023.7% Etihad Airways, Fly Nas, Saudia
8 Cairo 745,638 038.4% Egypt Air, Etihad Airways
9 Manila 724,536 013.2% Etihad Airways, Philippine Airlines
10 Delhi 695,728 048.6% Air India Express, Etihad Airways, Jet Airways

Ground transportation

Etihad Airways provides a luxury coach service from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Al Ain International Airport and Dubai Travel Mall for their customers.

The Department of Transport provides buses throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi include:

  • A1 - Abu Dhabi International Airport to City Air Terminal (near Abu Dhabi Mall, via Abu Dhabi Bus Station)
  • X81 - Abu Dhabi International Airport to Ruwais ADNOC (Western Region, via Mussafah and Tarif)
  • 162 - Abu Dhabi International Airport to Khalifa Street Abu Dhabi (near Corniche, via Abu Dhabi Bus Station)
  • 211 - Al Rahba to Dalma Mall (via Abu Dhabi International Airport)
  • 240 - Al Rahba to Al Mafraq Workers City (via Abu Dhabi International Airport)
  • 170 - Abu Dhabi International Airport to Zayed Sports City (near Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, however goes via Yas Island, Yas Mall, Saadiyat Island and Abu Dhabi Bus Station)
  • 490 - Abu Dhabi International Airport to Al Ain Bus Station (via Baniyas Court)

Accidents and incidents

On 19 April 2007, a Qatar Airways Airbus A300B4-622R caught fire while maintenece at an airport hangar. There were no fatalities but the aircraft was destroyed and was written off.

References

External links

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) مطار أبوظبي الدولي
Get 25% off any service of your choice at Tosa Spa in Terminal 1! Head there now!
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) مطار أبوظبي الدولي
Great offers on Toblerone only at Abu Dhabi Duty Free!
Load more comments
foursquare.com

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Dusit Thani Residences Abu Dhabi

starting $129

Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi Hotel

starting $76

Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi Apartments

starting $0

Centro Al Manhal

starting $55

Al Jazira Club Hotel

starting $30

AG Hotel

starting $66

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Yas Marina Circuit

The Yas Marina Circuit is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Ferrari World

Ferrari World, also known as Ferrari Experience, is a theme park on

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi

Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi is a waterpark in the United Arab Emirates,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Sheikh Zayed Mosque

Sheikh Zayed Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الشيخ زايد) in Abu Dhabi is the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Saadiyat Island

Saadiyat Island (In Arabic: جزيرة السعديات meaning 'Island of H

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a planned museum, to be located in Abu Dhabi,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Abu Dhabi Mall

Abu Dhabi Mall is currently the largest mall in the Abu Dhabi Emirate,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a planned museum, to be located in Abu

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport Шаблон:Airport codes, or simply Changi Airpo

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport (IATA: DOH, ICAO: OTHH) (Arabic: مطار حمد

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport (IIA) Шаблон:Airport codes (한국어.

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
New Chitose Airport

New Chitose Airport (新千歳空港, Shin-Chitose Kūkō) (IATA: CTS, ICAO: RJCC)

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Antalya Airport

Antalya Airport Шаблон:Airport codes is Шаблон:Convert northeast o

See all similar places