Eighty-three years ago today, a single-propeller British-owned Imperial Airways plane carrying four passengers landed in Sharjah, the first to carry airline passengers to what is now the UAE.
The anniversary is marked by Civil Aviation Day in the Emirates – a day in which the government seeks to reflect “the concerted efforts by the aviation industry in the past decades resulting in remarkable progress and cutting-edge development”, Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and chairman of General Civil Aviation Authority, said a year ago when announcing the day. “All these factors have contributed to the success we see today.”
Muna Al Ghanil, head of airport service quality for Abu Dhabi Airport Company (Adac), which oversees Abu Dhabi International Airport, said reaching a leadership position was about overcoming the challenges of constant growth.
Abu Dhabi International Airport has more than quadrupled its capacity in under a decade, from five million passengers in 2006 to an anticipated 24 million passengers by the end of this year.
The pace is only expected to increase with the Midfield Terminal opening in 2017. Officials are predicting doubled capacity, up to 30 million passengers in the new terminal alone, driven largely by the rapid expansion of Etihad Airways.
In August, 2.2 million passengers passed through the airport, more than any previous month in its history, a 17 per cent increase from the year before.
With extra capacity comes extra responsibility –an airport is only as successful as its customer service is satisfactory.
(Courtesy WAM)
