Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, predicts that Abu Dhabi International Airport will welcome more than 22 million passengers by the end of 2023, noting that the opening of Terminal A cements the capital’s position as a global gateway and a strategic hub for tourism and trade.
Speaking on the sidelines of the first media roundtable held at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s new passenger terminal, Sorlini said the year-end passenger forecast was based on the airport’s strong performance indicators in recent months, as well as the expected growth in passenger numbers during the winter season.
She stated that the winter season is expected to witness great demand from passengers in conjunction with major events hosted by the country such as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Etihad Airways Grand Prix and the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), where about 2.29 million passengers are expected to be received during the month of December alone.
She explained that the number of passengers through Abu Dhabi International Airport has witnessed a growth of 49% since the beginning of last October until now compared to the same period last year, noting that the winter season for this year and next will witness about 410 expected flights per day, while the last summer season witnessed about 340 flights per day, representing an increase of more than 20% between the two seasons.