Abu Dhabi aviation witnesses strong growth
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The recent report from OAG revealed that Abu Dhabi aviation market is set for strong growth in 2012, as seat capacity is expected to increase to 9.9m (one-way) this year, up 12% from 8.9m in 2011. The numbers are way-ahead in the global aviation scenario. Subsequently, the Middle East aviation market expects a 6% growth in seat capacity this year. The number of departures from Abu Dhabi International Airport is estimated to grow by 8% this year, from 50,700 to 54,600.
There is a trend witnessed wherein number of seats flown rises faster than number of flights which underlines a trend towards long-haul flights operated by larger aircraft.
Asia tops the charts in terms of key markets for Abu Dhabi with 3.5m one-way seats flown this year, followed by Middle East with 3m seats and Europe with 2.2m. A growing market is Africa which has witnessed a 25% increase in seats flown (up to 672,000), with Europe and Asia being the other key growth markets (up 17% and 15% respectively).