OREANDA-NEWS. Abu Dhabi International Airport recorded 27.4% increase in passenger traffic for the month of May 2014, the highest in the airports' history. A total of 1,633,700 passengers used Abu Dhabi International Airport last May as compared to 1,282,185 in May 2013.

Aircraft movements also increased by 15.8% registering 12,931 movements when compared with 11,162 movements logged in May 2013. Cargo activity handling rose to 66,944 tonnes representing a 24.5% increase when compared to 53,788 tonnes in May 2013.

Manila was the most popular route in May increasing by 21% due to a boost in Philippine Airlines' operations, followed by Doha which increased by 27%, affected by the increase in Etihad flights to Qatar. Bangkok was the third most popular destination followed by London which recorded an increase of 12% followed by Mumbai which has grown sharply by 87% due to Etihad and Jet Airways double daily and became one of the top 5 destinations for the first time.

Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, commented on the May traffic numbers saying: "Passenger numbers have continued to increase over the past few years, making the airport one of the fastest growing aviation hubs in the world. New code share partnerships between Etihad and various airlines have positively impacted our traffic numbers and we were excited to receive the first Aegean Airways flight on the 28th of May 2014.  It is also important to note India as one of our main traffic drivers, recording a significant increase of 60% this month due to the increase of Jet Airways flights to 65 flights per week, with a rise in the number of destinations to 6 from 3 last year."

"Abu Dhabi Airports is on track to handle this significant increase in air traffic through our current Capacity Enhancement Programme, as construction on the new Midfield Terminal Complex continues on track. We are looking forward to a busy summer programme as we strive to enhance the passenger's experience through a range of services and offerings."