Flourishing UAE Airports Could Handle Even More Traffic

With eight civil airports boasting IATA designations, it’s reasonable to ask why there are so many facilities in a country the size of the UAE. Partly, this is because five of the seven emirates Abu Dhabi (3), Dubai (2), Fujairah (1), Ras al-Khaimah (1) and Sarjah (1) have the demand. The other two­–Ajman, at 259 sq km the smallest, and Umm al-Quwain, the least populous­–do not.

This has led to a flourishing aviation sector, quite apart from the success of the UAE’s two globally competitive airlines. Led by the two major emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and their respective carriers, Etihad Airways and Emirates, the UAE’s main airports have built up a total passenger capacity of nearly 105 million and saw 2012 passenger throughput of around 80 million.

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