Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) reported a 22.9 percent year-on-year jump in passenger traffic through Abu Dhabi International Airport for the month of August. A total of 869,868 passengers used the airport during the month, compared to 707,671 last year, with the year-to-date figures reaching 5,962,175 - up 34.3 percent against last year's 4,439,610 over the same period. Passengers to and from other Gulf States rose particularly strongly, with Bahrain traffic up 44.4 percent, Oman up 33.1 percent, Qatar up 35.2 percent and Saudi Arabia - the largest Gulf market for the airport - up 18.3 percent. The UK saw a strong jump in traffic, up 30.5 percent, helped by an ADAC advertising campaign celebrating the connections from the airport to Heathrow and other UK destinations. Other strong performers included India, up 31.3 percent, and the Philippines, up 74.1 percent. The Philippines figures were boosted by the frequency increase of Etihad flights from four per week in August 2007 to one flight a day since October 2007. Terminal 3 will bring the total passenger capacity at the airport to more than 12 million; ADAC estimates that by the end of 2008 total traffic will top nine million passengers. The airport's top five destinations during the month were Doha, London, Cairo, Bahrain and Bangkok. The busiest day of the month, Aug. 1, saw a total of 32,567 passengers passing through the airport. The month also saw the first flights by Pakistani airline Air Blue, adding to and supporting the country's position as the second-largest market to and from Abu Dhabi. Cargo growth reflected the wider pattern, with cargo tonnage handled at the airport up by 18.5 percent.
