ADAC Welcomes NASAIR Daily Flights From Saudi Arabia

Direct flights from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi International Airport will welcome daily flights by Saudi Arabia’s carrier nasair from Jeddah, starting in April.

nasair, which currently operates three flights between Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, has increased the frequency in response to growing demand from passengers wanting to travel between the two cities for business, leisure and religious traffic, especially during Hajj (pilgrimage and Umra). The daily frequency will be introduced from April 2009.

nasair, which is owned by Saudi private aviation group National Aviation Services, operates one the newest fleets within the region. The airline made its inaugural flight to Abu Dhabi in April last year, making the UAE capital its second international destination outside Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Al Bulooki, Vice President, Airline Marketing and Aeronautical Revenue at the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), said:

“Abu Dhabi city is becoming an inducement for airlines looking at high-yield and high-load factor sectors. Regional growth within the aviation sector is increasing and we anticipate the traffic flow between Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and other Saudi Arabian cities such as Riyadh to continue growing.

“Abu Dhabi has already succeeded in attracting 41 international airlines, and ADAC is delighted that nasair has chosen to operate its services through Abu Dhabi International Airport daily, catering for the growing number for passengers travelling between two of the region’s key hubs.

“We continue to deliver world-class facilities and services through our extensive re-development plan, including a second runway with CAT IIIB capabilities and the new Terminal 3. As existing carriers increase the frequency of flights to Abu Dhabi, this raises our profile as a major international airport. As a result, we continue to attract new airlines, helping us to enhance our service to all our passengers and partners.”

The centrepiece of ADAC’s AED 25 billion (USD $6 billion) investment programme is the Midfield Terminal Complex (MTC) which is due for completion in 2012 and will increase capacity at the airport to 20-40 million customers per year.

Abu Dhabi International Airport recently set an airport record by handling over nine million passengers in 2008, representing 30-plus per cent growth over the past two years.

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