Hub Sweet Hub: Abu Dhabi International Airport and Etihad Airways
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APEX Insight: With route-to-route competition tighter than ever in some markets, the allure of airports can not be taken for granted. This multipart feature looks at airlines that are elevating the ground experience for their passengers by making architectural wonders and tourism attractions out of their airport terminals.
Abu Dhabi International Airport & Etihad Airways
Code: AUH
Managing company: Abu Dhabi Airports
Project duration: 2012-2017
Project cost: $3 billion
Passengers per year: 45 million
With Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030 underway, the city’s commercial focus has shifted from the oil industry to business and tourism. One of the major projects of this is the development of Etihad Airways’ hub at Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
“The Etihad vision, of course, is to support the Abu Dhabi 2030 vision,” said Linda Celestino, vice-president of Guest Services, during her keynote presentation at APEX EXPO in October. When the terminal is completed next year, the building will be one of the largest in the world, with a capacity of 45 million.
Etihad Airways has been working with NATS, a global leader in air traffic control, to improve aircraft operations as it anticipates more aircraft bringing in tourists eager to visit attractions like Abu Dhabi’s Louvre and Guggenheim museums, both expected to open next year.
“The Midfield Terminal building will be an airport terminal as never before seen.” €” Ali Al Mansoori, Abu Dhabi Airports.
Smart technology and self-service kiosks will be introduced in the new terminal to streamline passenger processing. “The Midfield Terminal building will be an airport terminal as never before seen,” says Ali Al Mansoori, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports. “No other country has built infrastructure like this.”
One example is the new bag-check system, which will handle more than 19,000 bags per hour. Passengers place their luggage on a belt, where it will then be assigned a barcode and a tray for easy tracking. Passport processing will also be much faster with advanced biometric technology. “You’ll just swipe your hand and you’re good to go,” Al Mansoori says.
But despite all the efforts to jump-start tourism and expand the airport, having the busiest airport in the world is not the point. “We don’t want to fill the building with lots of people; we want to have a high-quality airport,” Al Mansoori says. “We want to attract people who want to see an interesting cultural city – that is our goal.”
This article is an excerpt from the multipart feature “Hub Sweet Hub,” originally published in the 6.5 December/January issue of APEX Experience magazine.