ACI Airport Exchange: Bennett warns urgent capacity steps needed to meet Abu Dhabi passenger growth

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arabian Aerospace today, James Bennett, ADAC's CEO said that despite work in refurbishing and growing the processing areas of Terminal 1 and the opening of Terminal 3, it would be "a real challenge" to meet the growth demand.

Bennett was talking ahead of the Airports Council International (ACI) conference that opens in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. Staged in the Middle East for the first time, Airport Exchange is being held in partnership with ACI Europe and ACI Asia-Pacific, and brings together air transport executives from Europe, Asia and around the world. The three day event runs at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) until Wednesday.

The ADAC CEO said that the conference gave the opportunity to showcase Abu Dhabi and the development of its airport as well as highlighting the success the Gulf region is having compared to many other parts of the world."

"We are enjoying a period of healthy growth," Bennet said. " This year for the first nine months  we have been running over 13% on our passenger traffic year on year.We have had three or four sustained months when our passenger numbers exceeded one million for each month.

"This is significant becasue last July we celebrated our first ever month where we exceeded one million passengers. Now we are in a sustained mode where we are at or above a million. On this trajectory we look to wind up the year at about 12 million or a touch above that in terms of passenger activity compared to 10.8 million or 10.9 million the year before.

Bennett predicts that Abu Dhabi will continue its double-digit growth for the next five or six years which could see the airport topping the 20 million passenger figure before the proposed Midfield Terminal opens in 2017.

"We have now received tender documents for the new terminal project and would expect to be letting the contract in the second quarter of 2012."

Many of the exhibitors at the ACI event this week will be keen to catch the eye of ADAC and the main tender competitiors.

This year’s show will include exhibitors from the leading names in the airport and aviation industry, including Siemens, Arinc and IKUSI to showcase the latest innovations and competitive services in the airport international arena.

A number of the air-transport sector’s most influential figures will deliver simultaneous keynote addresses to conference delegates on key industry issues, as well as the latest developments and strategies of their businesses. The six themed conferences cover Security; Airport Operations; Airport Development and Environment; IT; Facilitation & Customer Service; and Commercial Network Planning. Other presenters include John Pistole, Administrator- U.S. Transportation Security Administration, Filip Cornelis, head of aviation security for the European Union; Sue Baer, aviation director for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Tan Sri Bashir, managing director- Malaysian Airports.

As well as Bennett, key figures giving their insights will include Kevin Knight, chief officer of strategy and planning from Etihad Airways; Kosaburo Morinaka, president and CEO, Narita International Airport and Declan Collier, CEO, Dublin Airports Authority and current president of ACI EUROPE.

Bennett said: “We are very pleased to be the host of this international aviation event as it debuts in the region. Hosting this year’s Airport Exchange, the largest ever, is yet another indication of ADAC's active involvement in the dynamic global aviation industry’ developments and we look forward to welcoming visitors and delegates to our vibrant city.”