Firmly on Course

Redevelopment work at Abu Dhabi International Airport is progressing according to plan. A number of facilities are scheduled to go operational in the first half of 2008. These include a third passenger terminal, a second runway, a new state of the art air traffic control complex and the first phase of a free trade zone. The flagship facility, the Midfield Terminal, will come on stream by the end of 2010 and by then the Airport’s overall capacity will triple to 20 million passengers.

The ambitious USD $6.8 billion programme will allow for phased growth of passenger traffic to beyond 40 million per year from the current seven million, while cargo capacity will be boosted to 2.5 million tonnes per year. The programme, which aims at transforming ADIA into a world-class facility, is but one aspect of a fully-fledged Government strategy that will see the UAE capital Emirate evolve into an international business and tourism hub.

On the infrastructure front, three new facilities will come on line in early 2008:

• Terminal 3 is an interim facility designed to meet the impressive growth requirements of the national airline, Etihad Airways. Its eight gates are capable of handling the new generation of wide-bodied aircraft and two of them are A380 compatible. Terminal 3 will add another five million to the airport passenger capacity, which now stands at seven million.
• The second runway is being built two kilometres to the north of the existing one. It is a category 3 all weather runway measuring 4,100 metres in length and will be capable of handling the new Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft.
• The air traffic control complex will enable the airport to handle up to 70 takeoffs and landings per hour. The structure will be 110 metres high and will be an architectural showpiece.

Free Zone

We also plan to have phase 1 of the airport free zone up and running in June 2008. The free zone will occupy an area of over 4 million square metres, offering investors an impressive package of world-class facilities and services.

Clusters of amenities will be in close proximity and all of the required facilities will be conveniently integrated to ensure that investors receive the best service.

The creation of a free zone marks a milestone in Abu Dhabi’s plans to establish itself as a dynamic business centre. The free zone will take advantage of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s strategic geographical position on the crossroads between the east and the west and the large-scale economic development of the Emirate.

Developing a free zone at Abu Dhabi International Airport is an important part of the development and expansion of the airport. It will ensure that Abu Dhabi International Airport will become a thriving cargo and business hub, as well as ensuring our goal of increasing non-aeronautical revenues.

When the free zone comes on line in mid 2008, expansion and redevelopment of the existing cargo facilities will have been completed too and work on the new cargo facilities will have begun.

With regards to our flagship facility, the Midfield Terminal, conceptual designs have now been completed and groundbreaking work will start later this year. The Midfield Terminal will emerge as an impressive architectural feat, offering the ultimate experience in terms of functionality and aesthetic appeal. The Terminal will initially have over 30 gates and will expand to over 80 to cope with anticipated growth.

The Master plan also caters to the cargo sector. More than 50 hectares have been reserved for new cargo facilities. We will be building three new cargo terminals, two for Etihad Airways, and one for the use of other airlines, with an ultimate combined capacity of around 2.5 million tones.

The master plan also features:

• Over 75 hectares of commercial zone for hotels, shopping and offices.
• Accommodations for future rail connections.
• Maintenance facilities for all craft types at GAMCO.
• Expandable facilities for executive and charter aircraft and helicopters at Royal Jet and Abu Dhabi Aviation.

Along with infrastructural development, due emphasis is being made to improve customer service levels and operational efficiency. In this connection, a host of initiatives have been introduced to ensure that users of the existing facilities get the best possible treatment.

We have a long agenda for improvement: It starts with safety and security issues and goes all the way to the length of waiting time at baggage collection and how long an arriving passenger has to queue for a taxi, through to check-in times, immigration services, lounge, food and beverage and duty-free experiences.

Our holistic approach to improvement dictates that the highest standards of safety and security are maintained, while ensuring that our passengers have a pleasurable experience when using our facilities. A key emphasis is on providing airport users with the ultimate travel experience. The improvements initiated so far are all customer-centric, addressing passengers’ health, amusement and convenience:

• The Airport is now a smoke free zone; however those who can not resist the craving can use specially ventilated rooms fitted with LCD television sets.
• Free internet stations and TV zones have been placed in transit areas to help passengers pass the time in transit, while customer service teams are roving around to attend to their needs.
• To speed up the processing of passengers, a dedicated pre-check-in security point has been opened for First/Business Class passengers to enable passengers to be screened more efficiently.
• New directory signs have been installed at strategic parts of the Airport to aid passengers in locating airport amenities, gates, immigration and baggage claim halls among others.

In tandem, our vision is to provide “software” that will match the state of the facilities that we are developing. We are ensuring that employees have the right training and development to ensure our success both now and in the future.

In partnership with our airport operator, Changi Airports International of Singapore, we are also implementing a number of training and development initiatives to ensure that our personnel possess the best skills necessary to handle the demanding tasks of airport operation and management in the most efficient and effective way.

Al Ain International Airport, which is serving the eastern region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is also emerging as a sought after cargo hub facility. Last May, the Emirates Corporation for Commercial Postal Services (Empost), chose Al Ain International Airport as the home base for their international air cargo operations which will extend to the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe. Empost will be the region’s largest cargo freighter and has plans to expand its fleet to over 50 aircraft by 2012. This selection reflects Empost’s recognition of the quality of service and strategic location of Al Ain Airport.

Recently, Abu Dhabi International Airport has witnessed an unprecedented increase in passenger traffic, having registered a 25% growth in the first quarter of 2007 over the same period last year. Passengers handled by the airport by Q1 2007 reached a total of 1.575 million, compared to 1.255 million in Q1 2006.

The airport has been proclaimed the best airport in the Middle East and Africa for service quality and for people’s choice category for 2006 at the ACI Awards.

These awards were based on annual feedback of international passengers. They confirmed ADIA as the best Airport in Africa and the Middle East in terms of service quality, courtesy and customer service. The first award is based on annual results of the overall satisfaction of international passengers, while the second recognises those airports that have cultivated a strong customer service culture among their staff and business partners and have been rated by passengers as having the most courteous and helpful airport, airline and security staff.

This recognition is a welcome development as it assures us that we are on the right track.

Surely, we will use these positive developments as stepping stones toward reinforcing our image as a quality-oriented, excellence driven organisation.

Khalifa Mohammed Al Mazrouei

Khalifa Mohammed Al Mazrouei is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Airports Company “ADAC”. He has been the Chairman, since 2004, of the Supervision Committee for the Expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport (SCADIA), which manages the implementation of the multibillion-dirham expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport. To both posts he has brought with him a thorough knowledge of international markets and financial management, gained from his stint with Mubadalah Development Company.