The airport operator has released its passenger, cargo, and aircraft movement figures for the first half of the year, showing rapid expansion across the board.

Abu Dhabi International Airport catered for 4.26 million passengers in the first six months of 2008, up from 3.07 million in the same period last year. The airport handled 172,762 tonnes of cargo, a 16 per cent rise, while the 45,917 aircraft movements marked a 17 per cent increase on the first half of 2007.

Adac chief executive officer Rudy Vercelli says the figures show Abu Dhabi can continue to buck the downward trend in the global aviation industry. At the recent Farnborough International Airshow, Vercelli revealed Adac’s ambition to expand its operations abroad, acquiring or taking over the management of a foreign airport by the end of the year (MEED 18:7:08).