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Abu Dhabi International Airport reports 8% rise in February passenger traffic, Cairo down sharply

Analysis

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) announced Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA) handled 870,000 passengers in Feb-2011 - an 8% year-on-year increase. The airport's Top 5 destinations were Bangkok, London, Doha, Manila and Frankfurt, while Cairo - previously one of Abu Dhabi's busiest routes - slumped 34%, reflecting the unrest in Egypt.

Economy fares on the Cairo-Abu Dhabi sector fell roughly 20% during Jan/Feb-2011, but have recovered somewhat this month. Click here for more fares data for Abu Dhabi Airport.

Return economy fares travelling from Cairo to Abu Dhabi: Oct-2010 to Apr-2011

The Middle East, South Asia and Western Europe are ADIA's leading regions.

Abu Dhabi International Airport international capacity by region (21-Mar-2011 to 27-Mar-2011)

ADAC spokesman, Ahmed Al Haddabi, said: "February proved to be a good month for Abu Dhabi International Airport, welcoming the new services of V Australia and additional frequencies for our other airline partners. At the same time, our refurbishment project in Terminal 1 is continuing on schedule, further improving the product and services to both airlines and passengers."

Etihad Airways is the airport's dominant carrier, accounting for two-thirds of weekly seating capacity, according to Innovata. Qatar Airways is next biggest, followed by Air India Express.

Abu Dhabi International Airport capacity (seats per week, to/from) by carrier (21-Mar-2011 to 27-Mar-2011)

LCCs such as Air India Express account for just 4.1% of weekly capacity at Abu Dhabi, with full service airlines commanding a 95.7% share. Click here for more schedule data on Abu Dhabi Airport.

Abu Dhabi International Airport capacity share by carrier type (21-Mar-2011 to 27-Mar-2011)

Etihad Airways is not a member of a global alliance, which reflects the large proportion of 'unaligned' capacity at the airport. The Star Alliance has the biggest stake of the alliances at ADIA, with a 5.5% share.

Abu Dhabi International Airport capacity share by alliance (21-Mar-2011 to 27-Mar-2011)

ADIA is an important premium hub, with 11.9% of its total weekly seating in business (10.3%) or first (1.6%) class, against the worldwide average of 6.4%.

Abu Dhabi International Airport schedule by class of seat - one way weekly departing seats (21-Mar-2011 to 27-Mar-2011)

ADAC noted that aircraft movements rose 5.8% to approximately 9,000 in Feb-2011, suggesting rising load factors and/or increasing airport sizes at the airport. Cargo volumes surged 20% to 37,867 tonnes, reflecting Etihad Airways' expansion of its cargo operations.

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