29 Million Passengers... Abu Dhabi Airports Leaves Its Mark on the World's Wings

 29.4 million passengers in 2024

 

29 Million Passengers... Abu Dhabi Airports Leaves Its Mark on the World's Wings

Abu Dhabi Airports recorded exceptional performance in 2024, with passenger numbers exceeding 29.4 million, achieving a 28% annual growth rate, compared to 22.9 million passengers in 2023. This growth is a result of its network expansion, strategic partnerships, and commitment to providing a world-class travel experience, contributing to consolidating the emirate's position as a leading global aviation hub, according to official data issued by Abu Dhabi Airports.

Zayed International Airport is the primary catalyst for this growth, enabling passengers to travel across an extensive network of more than 125 global destinations, with 29 new destinations set to launch in 2024. These figures reflect the rapid pace of recovery in the sector, as data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicates that airlines in the Asia-Pacific region are experiencing faster growth than their counterparts in Europe and North America.

Eight new airlines have joined Zayed International Airport's network: British Airways, Air Astana, Aegean Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Akasa Air, Hainan Airlines, Flynas, and Turkmenistan Airlines. This expansion has resulted in a 10 percent increase in aircraft movements, from 226,362 flights in 2023 to 249,747 flights in 2024 across the five airports. This highlights the strong demand from key markets such as the United Kingdom, India, Qatar, and Egypt, enhancing the emirate's global connectivity and attracting travelers from around the world, according to Abu Dhabi Airports' website.

This remarkable growth was boosted by the contribution of major airlines based in Abu Dhabi. Wizz Air carried approximately 3.5 million passengers during the same year, despite the global challenges the company faced, most notably the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine crisis, which led to the grounding of some of its aircraft (approximately 40 A320s) until 2026, according to Reuters.

Despite this obstacle, Wizz Air announced last month a new order for 177 additional aircraft equipped with the same engine, confirming that the problem is related to the global industry system rather than the local climate, and affirming the company's confidence in the future of the aviation sector in the region.

Abu Dhabi's market is among the most stable and secure in the world. The emirate benefits from its strategic geographic location near emerging and rapidly growing markets in South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This contributes to maintaining high occupancy rates and lucrative operating returns, factors that encourage global airlines to strengthen their presence in the UAE capital.

In this context, Etihad Airways announced the launch of ten new destinations in just one day in preparation for 2025, while Air Arabia Abu Dhabi continues to expand its network with the addition of more regional and international destinations.

This ambitious dynamic reinforces the position of the UAE's aviation sector, which currently contributes approximately 18 percent of the country's GDP and provides nearly one million direct and indirect jobs, according to previous statements by the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh.

This momentum is due to the country's supportive policies, including open air transport agreements and full foreign ownership privileges in free zones. These factors enabled Wizz Air to establish its joint venture in the UAE and double its local fleet size just two years after entering the market. This exceptional performance confirms that Abu Dhabi is soaring high in the aviation sector, as the emirate continues to establish itself as one of the most stable, safe, and attractive aviation hubs in the world.