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Abu Dhabi Airport
The present airport was opened on the mainland in 1982, close to the trunk route linking Abu Dhabi with Dubai, about 30km from the now fast-expanding city. Designed by Aérports de Paris, the architects responsible for Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, the new Abu Dhabi International Airport was built to cope with a maximum of five million passengers a year. By the mid-1990s, however, further expansion was necessary and the terminal building was enlarged to accommodate increasing numbers of business and leisure travelers - a large number of them in transit between Europe and the Far East .
When Abu Dhabi International Airport 's City Terminal first opened in the summer of 1999 the number of passengers using it daily could be counted on the fingers of one hand. However, word soon spread about the comfort and convenience provided by the new city centre facility, and in the busy tourist season as many as 5,000 passengers a month now choose to check in at the City Terminal.
Located at the heart of Abu Dhabi 's business district, the City Terminal allows passengers to check in in a calm, quiet environment far removed from the hustle and bustle of the airport itself. Passengers arriving at the City Terminal - whether in their own car or by taxi - are just a few seconds walk from the check-in desks, and once they've completed security formalities, checked in their baggage and collected their boarding passes they're free to make their own way to the airport or else make use of the City Terminal's fleet of luxury coaches.
This shuttle service departs every hour and while passengers are waiting they can make use of the facilities in the spacious lounge area.
Drinks and light refreshments are available, and passengers can watch satellite TV channels or browse through a Duty Free Shopping Catalogue. If they select an item to purchase it will be waiting for them when they arrive at the Airport.
A business centre offers a comprehensive range of services, including access to the Internet, and the City Terminal also boasts the capital's only 24-hour travel agency, allowing travelers to organize onward hotel, car-hire and flight bookings, no matter what the hour. The terminal also offers the convenience of an ATM.
Shower facilities are also available, so businessmen who arrive at the City Terminal after a hectic day of business meetings can freshen up and change into travelling clothes before heading out to the airport. Check in can be up to eight hours prior to departure (minimum three hours) so visiting businessmen who use the City Terminal may be able to save money by checking out of their hotels earlier. There are currently nine airlines with agreements to provide free use of the City Terminal for their First and Business Class passengers. These are: Air France , Air India , Swiss, Gulf Air, Egypt Air, Qatar Airways, Sudan Airways, Lufthansa, Air India , Royal Jordanian Airlines, China Airlines and British Airways.
However, any other passenger can make use of the Terminal through the auspices of Golden Class, paying just Dhs 70 for this VIP service.
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