Khaberni - Abu Dhabi Airports, the operator of the five emirate airports, including Zayed International Airport, recorded more than 33 million passengers last year 2025, witnessing the largest annual flow of passengers in the emirate.
According to a press release issued Thursday, this sustained performance reflects a doubling of traffic volumes through the emirate's airports over the past three years. Additionally, Zayed International Airport emerged as the fastest-growing major airport in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, based on the latest global air traffic data.
All previous records were surpassed due to the continuous expansion in the international destinations network, where airlines added new destinations, increased flights on high-demand routes, and bolstered air connectivity levels across key markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Zayed International Airport's network saw the launch of 39 new routes, alongside the addition of 7 new airlines. In its second full operational year, the airport accounted for approximately 98% of total passenger movement and 73% of aircraft movement, recording 8.59 million passengers in the last quarter of 2025, with an annual growth rate of 13.8%.
This unprecedented growth was fueled by the expansion of the destinations network, as airlines such as China Eastern Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, Jazeera Airways, and Etihad Airways, inaugurated or enhanced services to major global destinations. New destinations added during the year included major global centers like Addis Ababa, Atlanta, Hong Kong, and emerging markets such as Berlin, Hanoi, Pune, and Warsaw.
The airport also experienced several days during the year when traffic exceeded the 100,000 passengers per day mark, a key indicator of operational efficiency and success of major airports, enhancing its status as a preferred hub for both direct and connecting flights.
Ahmed Juma Al Shamsi, the Acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, stated that our success in surpassing the 33 million passenger barrier is an amazing achievement for our team, and also represents a clear indicator of our operational readiness to meet the increasing global demand.
This performance is the fruit of hard work at all levels in Abu Dhabi Airports to achieve important strategic objectives set by our wise leadership. We will continue to focus on maintaining this momentum through operational excellence and ongoing expansion in our capabilities for cargo and logistics services, thereby contributing to the provision of advanced infrastructure and high-quality service to support the continuous growth of Abu Dhabi as a global aviation hub.
The year 2025 witnessed a series of significant achievements for Abu Dhabi Airports, among them the nineteenth consecutive quarter of double-digit passenger movement growth, and for the first time, the total annual traffic across the five airports of the emirate surpassed 30 million passengers.
These results reflect an upward stable trend over several years, driven by network expansion, strengthening partnerships with airlines, and continuous investment in capacity and passenger experience.
The other Abu Dhabi Airports, including Al Bateen Executive Airport and Al Ain International Airport, also continued to record growth in movement. Al Bateen Airport's aircraft movement increased by 15.3% in the last quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in the previous year, and by 7% on an annual basis. In contrast, Al Ain International Airport saw a significant increase in passenger traffic by 48.1% compared to the last quarter of 2024, and by 9.2% on an annual basis.
Abu Dhabi Airports also experienced a remarkable increase in air cargo volumes in 2025, with approximately 770,000 tons handled across the five airports of the emirate, representing a 12% annual increase. This highlights the growing attractiveness of the trade routes offered by the emirate.
The past year also featured several other achievements, including winning the "Best Airport Shopping Experience" award at the "Frontier 2025" awards, and special recognition at the 2025 Aviation Business Awards.
Zayed International Airport also received Level Two Accreditation for accessibility from the International Airports Council, in addition to Level Three Accreditation for passenger experience, as well as awards recognizing advanced technology systems and passenger experience initiatives.
