Abu Dhabi International Airport
Abu Dhabi International Airport is an
airport located in
Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates.
As a hub
The airport is an important hub for
Etihad Airways.
On
23 September 1983,
Gulf Air Flight 771, which was flying from Abu Dhabi to
Karachi International Airport in
Karachi,
Pakistan, was bombed over the UAE, killing everyone on board.
On
29 November 1987,
Korean Air Flight 858, which was travelling on an
Abu Dhabi-
Bangkok-
Seoul route was bombed over the
Andaman Sea, killing everyone on board.
As of June 2006, the following airlines have scheduled services to Abu Dhabi International Airport:
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Aero Asia International (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar)
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Air India (Delhi, Muscat)
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Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Dhaka)
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British Airways (London-Heathrow, Muscat)
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China Airlines (Taipei-Chiang Kai Shek, Vienna)
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EgyptAir (Cairo)
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Etihad Airways (Bangkok, Beirut, Brussels, Colombo, Damascus, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Frankfurt, Geneva, Islamabad, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Khartoum, Kuwait, Lahore, London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Manila, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, New York-JFK [service begins 26th October 2006], Peshawar, Toronto)
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Gulf Air (Bahrain, Muscat)
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Iran Air (Tehran-Imam Khomeini)
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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam, Bahrain)
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Kuwait Airways (Kuwait, Muscat)
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Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
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Middle East Airlines (Beirut)
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Pakistan International Airlines (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar)
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Royal Jordanian (Al Ain, Amman)
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Qatar Airways (Doha)
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Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah, Riyadh)
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Shaheen Air International (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar)
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Singapore Airlines (Jeddah, Singapore)
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SriLankan Airlines (Bahrain, Colombo, Doha)
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Sudan Airways (Khartoum)
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Syrian Arab Airlines (Damascus)
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Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk)
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Turkmenistan Airlines (Ashgabat)
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Yemenia (Riyan, Sanaa)
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Cargolux*
China Airlines Cargo
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Dolphin Air*
Etihad Airways Crystal Cargo
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Lufthansa Cargo*
Martinair*
Pakistan International Cargo
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Turkmenistan AirlinesThe Airport opened a Terminal 2 in August 2005.
The new Terminal 2 is complete with baggage handling system with online security screening, Flight Information Display System, security surveillance and access control, 1000 square metres of duty free and cafeterias, business classlounge, e-gate and iris scan.
Expansion
The new Terminal 2 went from drawing board to reality in months and a design competition was begun to find a design for the new midfield terminal.
The new terminal cost
UAE Dirhams 21 billion (US $ 6.8 billion) and is capable of handling up to two million passengers per year. Terminal 2 has been built as a quick solution to air traffic volumes which have outgrown the current terminal.
Ten leading international
airport terminal design consultants are currently being interviewed for the job of designing a major new midfield passenger terminal. From these ten four to five will be short-listed to enter a design competition for the newterminal complex. The expansion project will double the existing airport land area in
Abu Dhabi to 34 km².
Another short list of consultants is being developed for the new 110 metre
Air Traffic Control Tower which will include all the new navigational, vis ual and radar control systems. The design competition for this will begin shortly. The airport master plan involves the construction of a second runway at a distance of 2,000 metres from the existing runway, cargo and maintenance facilities, and other commercial developments on land immediately adjacent to and north of the existing airport. The first phase is due to be completed by 2010. It was announced that the plan had been approved by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The project will provide a top-quality 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. Etihad has identified air freight, in particular transit cargo, as one of its key growth areas. Other airlines currently serving Abu Dhabi International Airport will also benefit from the expansion. Close to the new cargo facilities land has been allocated for related commercial activities, including a free trade zone. Aircraft maintenance facilities will continue to be concentrated on the south side of the existing airport. The plan also sets aside land for the growth of other operators such as Royal Jet and Abu Dhabi Aviation. One of the first phases of the project will be the construction of a second , 4,100 metre runway which will cater for the latest generation of aircraft, including the new Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft.
Since appointing Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as the master planners in late November 2005, SCADIA has assembled a team of consultants - including planners, programme managers, aviation specialists, and designers - and contractors to deliver a new and visionary master plan, capitalising on the existing facilities and assets. SCADIA is also implementing some immediate interim measures to relieve the capacity constraints at Abu Dhabi Airport and prepare for
Etihad's rapid fleet acquisition plan.
Among the other key aspects of the project completed in the last six months are the design of remote aircraft stands complete with Airfield Ground Lighting and hydrant fuel.
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Abu Dhabi International Airport (official site in English)
