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ABU DHABI / 4UAE 3rd NOVEMBER 2007Expanded airportwill offer top-flightexperienceInvestment totalling £80 billion is required to take Abu Dhabi into a new eracontinued from page 2the location for residential housing units, hotels,resorts, recreational facilities and parks.Three major industrial districts are to becreated.The new Khalifa Port and IndustrialZone will be the location for heavy industryrelying on bulk materials imported fromabroad,while hi-tech industries will surroundthe Abu Dhabi International Airport, whichhas already begun a multi-million dollar transformation(see page 4).Smaller service-basedindustries will be allocated to the Mussafahand Mafraq areas, with rail and highway linksbetween all three areas.‘Our futurewill not beheld hostage touncontrolledexpansion’The city’s transit network will include ahigh-speed rail line,originating at the CentralSouq train station,connecting downtown tothe Capital District,the airport,and ultimatelyDubai. A freight rail line will link the newport,the airport,and Jebel Ali with the otherGCC countries.There will be at least twohigh capacity metro lines, and a network oflight rail,streetcars and buses that the plannerssay will ensure that no one ever has towalk more than five minutes to use publictransport.A network of grand processional boulevardsare intended to express the scale andimportance of the capital. The CapitalBoulevard is seen as a particularly importantcomponent, linking the PresidentialPalace and <strong>Emirates</strong> Palace to the new CapitalDistrict, possibly including seven high archesrepresenting the seven <strong>Emirates</strong> of theUAE,and terminating at a main capital square.A continuous framework of planted boulevardsand byways will link the communityparks and the three major City Parks, makingit possible to move around under theshade of trees and reinforcing the vision ofthe city as a garden on the shores of theGulf.Limits will be set to the growth for thecity to preserve the ecology and prevent anunending,undifferentiated sprawl through thedesert to Dubai.The masterplan has been developed underthe direction of Sheikh Khalifa bin ZayedAl Nahayan, who succeeded his father asPresident of the UAE and ruler of AbuDhabi. It is seen as the fulfilment of thegrand design envisaged by Sheikh Zayed,whowas the country’s first president.“Abu Dhabiwas built on the ambitions of the late SheikhZayed, this must be recognised and continued,”says Falah Mohammed Al Ahbabi,Associate Director, Urban Planning,Executive Affairs Authority.He emphasises that the key to the developmentof the city will be measured expansionreflecting Abu Dhabi’s sustainableeconomy, rather than the explosion ofgrowth witnessed in some other emergingeconomies.“Abu Dhabi needs to grow,andit will grow, but our future will not be heldhostage to uncontrolled expansion,” hesays.The development of the city will “respect,be scaled to and shaped by the naturalenvironment of sensitive coastal anddesert ecologies.” Land uses and buildingheights will be carefully monitored.Planned developments for Yas Island,Saadiyat Island, Al Raha Beach, Al Mina, AlSuwwah and Al Reem Island are already intrain. On Saadiyat Island, just off the coast,a £10.2 billion project is under way to turnthe emirate into an internationally recognisedcultural centre.Iconic architectural designshave been created for branches ofboth the Guggenheim and Louvre museums.The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designedby internationally acclaimed architect FrankGehry, will be larger than any existingGuggenheim worldwide. In addition toforming its own collection of modern andcontemporary art,it will also exhibit masterworksfrom the GuggenheimFoundation’s global collections. The AbuDhabi Louvre,a 260,000-square foot complexcovered by an umbrella-like roof, designedby French architect Jean Nouvel,willdisplay art from all eras and regions, includingIslamic art. The emirate has alsopulled off a multi-million dollar deal toborrow works from the Louvre in Parisand stage special exhibitions.The plans forSaadiyat Island also include a maritime museumand a performing arts centre.Yas Island will become a top internationalleisure destination, with world-class motorsports racetrack,a Ferrari theme park,a water park, 984,000-square foot dedicatedto shopping, golf courses, hotels,marinas, apartments and villas.The islandhas been announced as the venue for aFormula 1 race in 2009, to be called theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix. ●Innovative architecture, the latest facilities andworld-class services are promised in a showcasedevelopment of the gateway to the emirateAmulti-billion dollar programmeis under way totransform Abu DhabiInternational Airport into a topclass facility that will cater forthe emirate’s growth far into thefuture.The £3.4 billion expansionplan is designed to raise the airport’sannual passenger capacityto 20 million by 2010, allowingfor phased growth to beyond40 million per year. It includestwo new terminals,a second runway,a state-of-the-art air trafficcontrol tower and a free tradezone. Cargo facilities at the airportare being expanded to a capacity of 2.5million tons per year.The improvements are being made tocope with an anticipated surge of between12 and 15 million passengers by 2015,as therapidly developing emirate attracts largernumbers of business travellers and tourists.Abu Dhabi Airport has been experiencingan unprecedented increase in passengertraffic, and is on the way to reachingits current capacity of seven million peryear. In the first quarter of this year, it registeredan increase of 25 per cent to 1.575million, compared to 1.255 million in thesame period in 2006.The first of the new terminals will be theairport’s third – the second was opened asrecently as 2005. Due to be opened nextKHALIFA ALMAZROUEIChairman ofAbu Dhabi AirportsCompanyyear, and dedicated exclusivelyto serving the UAE’s nationalcarrier, Etihad Airways, it willhave eight gates. Next year willalso see the coming into operationof a second 4.1-kilometreall weather runway, capable oflanding wide-bodied aircraftsuch as the Airbus 380,and a 110metre high air traffic controltower able to handle up to 70aircraft movements per hour.Meanwhile work will start thisyear on construction of the airport’sflagship development,thehuge new Midfield Terminal, anarchitecturally impressive showpiece development,which is scheduled to open in2010.The innovative modern design will reflectregional architectural features suchas domes and arches, and include a checkinhall framed by a series of long span steelarches supporting a soaring roof.It is a design that will enable a quick andseamless flow of passengers, facilitated bythe latest technologies,such as e-gates withbiometric scans, automated check-in facilitiesand internet booking, paperless processing,andself-service kiosks.Initially,theterminal will have 30 gates, later to be expandedto 80.Overseeing the development programmeis the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)which took over the running of the airportInnovative architecture is at the heart of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s expansion plan
UAE 3rd NOVEMBER 2007 ABU DHABI / 5Abu Dhabi International Airport will eventually be able to cater for 40 million passengers‘We need todeliver topnotch servicesat the highestmanagementlevel’from the Department of Civil Aviation lastyear when it was given responsibility foroperating, managing and maintaining airportsin the emirate.Khalifa Mohamed Al Mazrouei,ADAC’sChairman,says the growth and expansionof the airport at its current location,ideallylocated 18 miles outside Abu DhabiIsland, provides “the freedom to expandon an almost unlimited level. Future developmentswill grow towards the Bahrainhighway and Dubai highway, which arealso strategically located.”In order to maintain the level of serviceand ensure that there is no congestion,the new facilities have been designedto cater for 10 to 15 years expectedgrowth,he adds. “In that way wecan add future expansions without disruptingthe operations of the airport.”ADAC is working closely with EtihadAirways, whose growth it aims to facilitate.Etihad is one of the fastest growingairlines in the world. Over the past year,it has added 15 wide-bodied aircraft toits fleet, as well as 10 new internationaldestinations, including New York, KualaLumpur and Sydney.In the first six monthsof the year, Etihad carried more than 1.9million passengers compared to 900,000for the same period last year,an increaseof 111 per cent.Creation of ADAC is part of a widergovernment initiative aimed at improvingservices to support the emirate’slong-term strategies for the economy ingeneral and tourism in particular. A keyelement is the direct involvement of theprivate sector.According to Mr Mazrouei, there aremore than 100 areas of operation at theairport in which the private sector couldbe involved, ranging from air traffic controlto catering. “We assess every activityand its cost, and if the private sector cando better than us, we outsource.“We need to deliver top notch serviceat the highest management level, andthis we must do either internally orthrough the support of certain private airportoperators who have already a trackrecord of strong service levels.”ADAC has signed up Changi AirportsInternational as operations manager ofthe airport. The Singapore-based companyhas assumed management of operationsin key areas, such as terminal andapron operations, airport emergencyservices,and customer services for an 18-month term, and is also advising on theplanning of the Midfield Terminal.The airport was recently named besthub in the Middle East and Africa by theAirports Council International, an organisationrepresenting hundreds of airfieldoperators across the globe.“Our pursuitfor improvement is relentless,” saysMr Al Mazrouei.“It starts with safety and security issuesand goes all the way to the lengthof waiting time at baggage collection,how long an arriving passenger has toqueue for a taxi, through to check-intimes, immigration services, lounge,food and beverage and duty-free experiences.”●Duty free shopping to be extended■Opportunities for duty freeshopping at the Abu DhabiAirport are being greatly increased tocater for the rise in the number ofpassengers passing through. The amountof space allocated to Abu Dhabi DutyFree (ADDF), the region’s leading travelretailer by customer spend and secondby turnover, is being extended with theopening of the new Terminal 3 and thelaunch of a new 48 hour duty freeshopping concept.Sales results for the first six months ofthis year show turnover is 33.26 per centhigher than the same period last year.“We expect to cross the £49 millionmark in terms of turnover by the end ofthe year,” says Niveen Ibrahim, theADDF’s General Manager.Free trade zone to open■Establishing a free zone isintended to turn the airport intoa thriving business and cargo hub. Phase1, which will extend over 75 millionsquare feet, will come into operation inJune next year.The zone will offer world-class facilitiesand services, and a user friendlyenvironment for a wide range ofbusinesses including: aerospace andrelated activities, logistics and freight,electronics and electricals, engineeringand building materials, technology andtelecommunications, and oil and gasproducts.Clusters of amenities will be close byand expansion and redevelopment of theexisting cargo facilities will have beencompleted by the time the zoneAt around £25, average spending perdeparting passenger is one of thehighest in the industry. A new 500-square foot, 48-hour arrivals shop, afirst in the region, will permit travellersto take advantage of their duty freeallowance for up to two days afterarriving in Abu Dhabi.“We are proud to be the first in theregion to be offering this service andconvenience to passengers,” saysMohammed Mounib,ADAC’sCommercial Director.“One of the clearadvantages of the shop is that if apassenger does not take advantage oftheir duty free allowance when initiallycoming through the airport, they will beable to do so for up to two days afterarrival.”becomes operational.Companies establishing themselves inthe zone will be able to take advantageof the airport’s strategic geographicalposition on the crossroads between eastand west. Investors will benefit from 100per cent exemption from corporate tax,imports and export duties and personalincome tax.Total foreign ownership isallowed, along with 100 per centrepatriation of capital and profits.Khalifa Al Mazrouei,ADAC’s Chairmansays: “Developing a free zone is animportant part of the development andexpansion of Abu Dhabi InternationalAirport. It will ensure that the airportwill become a thriving cargo and businesshub, as well as increasing nonaeronauticalrevenues.”
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