Passenger traffic more than triples at Abu Dhabi’s airports in 2022

Almost 16 million passengers used Abu Dhabi’s five airports in 2022 – tripling the 5.26 million handled in 2021.

The bulk of the total passed through Abu Dhabi International Airport with the remainder using either Al Ain International, Al Bateen Executive, Delma Island or Sir Bani Yas Island airports.

His Excellency, Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, managing director and CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Last year was a remarkable one for Abu Dhabi in passenger traffic terms. It illustrates the emirate’s vast potential as an attractive destination to visit, live and work in.

“Our recent airport infrastructure investments, sustained excellence across customer service, operations, and ongoing collaborations with key stakeholders and government organisations, including the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, whom we work closely with to grow Abu Dhabi’s travel, tourism and business offering, enabling investment across industries, and welcoming new audiences to visit Abu Dhabi.

“Looking ahead, we are working towards readiness to accommodate even greater passenger traffic in 2023, which we anticipate, as higher numbers of international visitors come to the UAE for key events.

“Sustainability continues to play a big role in everything we do, from design to construction to operation and delivery. Such opportunities underscore that this is truly an exciting time for Abu Dhabi and the aviation transformational journey that is unfolding.”

Last year also saw around 583,949 tonnes of air freight handled across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain International Airports as airlines continued rebalancing their fleets between passenger and cargo aircrafts.

This positive figure, says Abu Dhabi Airports, is attributed to several factors, including increases in shipments of both general cargo and specialised products such as express, temperature-controlled, and pharmaceuticals.