Abu Dhabi airport passengers surpass 33m in 2025
- Volume doubles in three years
- 98% via Zayed International Airport
- Adds 39 new routes and seven airlines
Passenger volume at Abu Dhabi’s five commercial airports surpassed 33 million in 2025, as traffic doubled over the past three years, Abu Dhabi Airports said.
The flagship Zayed International Airport (AUH) emerged as the fastest-growing mega-airport in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the airport operator added.
In its second full year of operations, AUH, the hub of Etihad Airways, accounted for almost 98 percent of all passenger traffic and 73 percent of aircraft movements in the emirate. The airport served 8.6 million passengers in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 14 percent year on year.
AUH added 39 new routes and seven more airlines, including China Eastern Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings and Jazeera Airways.
“Our focus remains on maintaining this momentum and the continued expansion of our cargo and logistics capabilities, ensuring that we provide the infrastructure and service quality necessary to support Abu Dhabi’s continued growth as a global aviation hub,” said Ahmed Juma Al Shamisi, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports.
Aircraft movements at Al Bateen Executive Airport rose 15 percent year on year in the fourth quarter and 7 percent annually.
Meanwhile, Al Ain International Airport logged passenger traffic growth of 48 percent year on year in the final quarter and 9 percent for the year.
Cargo volumes across the five airports in 2025 rose 12 percent to 770,000 tonnes, reflecting the growing demand for routing trade through the emirate’s corridors.
Further reading:
- Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi airports rises further
- Etihad earnings surge as cargo and passenger volumes rise
- UAE airports turn to AI as passenger volumes swell
Earlier this month, Etihad Airways said it carried 22.4 million passengers last year, an increase of 21 percent, underpinned by a 30 percent gain in fleet capacity and the launch of 16 new destinations.
By the end of the year, the airline’s operating fleet stood at 127 aircraft, following the addition of 29 jets – the largest single-year fleet expansion in its history.
In November, the Department of Culture and Tourism said Abu Dhabi’s hotel revenues for the first half of 2025 rose a quarter from a year earlier, mostly due to a sharp increase in cultural tourism and rising numbers across heritage sites.
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