Al Bateen bullish on growth prospects

Executive airport handled 12,000 business jet movements last year

Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport expects to see continued growth in aircraft movements this year after achieving growth of about 5 per cent in 2017, a top executive said in the capital yesterday.

The airport, which is dedicated to the operations of business jets, handled 12,000 aircraft movements last year.

“We are optimistic about the growth of the airport in the coming years. We’ve seen a lot of movements in terms of passengers and we’ve seen a shift in type of passengers from only being wealthy people travelling to ordinary travellers,” said Nasser Juma, general manager of operations support at Abu Dhabi Airports. He also said they are expanding Al Bateen airport by upgrading a few hangars to accommodate aircraft in the airport.

“We built a new VIP terminal last year and we are working to upgrade a few hangars that we have here after receiving requests to locate some aeroplanes within the airport,” he said without giving details about the investments. The airport has four hangars currently.

Juma was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a press conference organised to announce the details of the Abu Dhabi Air Expo, which will be held from February 26 to 28 at the airport.

The three-day event is set to welcome 18,000 visitors and more than 300 manufacturers and suppliers who will be showcasing their latest innovations in private jet aircraft, helicopters, executive charter services, airport equipment, insurance and financing, among others.

There will also be a display of more than 110 aircraft, from ultra-light to heavy business jets.