Abu Dhabi Int'l tops 1mn passengers for February

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said on Monday that passenger numbers exceeded one million in February for the eighth successive month.

The traffic report for Abu Dhabi International Airport indicated a 24.5 percent growth with a total of 1,080,457 passengers.

Aircraft movements also continued to grow with a 3.8 percent increase for the month of February totalling 9,263 movements.

The growth was driven by new destinations being added by Etihad including the five weekly service to Shanghai in China, and the operation of new airlines including Safi Airways of Afghanistan, which now operates four weekly flights to Kabul.

The report also showed that cargo shipments were on the rise last month, increasing by 13.2 percent compared to the same period last year, as the airport handled 42,860 tonnes of cargo.

Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operating officer at ADAC, said: "The increasing attractiveness of Abu Dhabi as a destination for business and pleasure remains the key factor in this exceptional growth witnessed at the capital's hub, driving continuous flow of passengers through the airport."

The top five routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during February were Doha, which grew by 32 percent, followed by Bangkok, Manila, London and Jeddah.