Abu Dhabi Transportation

Been there once, was amazing experience for me as i travelled alone but never felt alone since i met some friendly people inside the airport.. that was my first time travelling via Ethihad airlines...love the airport, very clean and people are friendly.

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The sleek, modern, curving air traffic control tower at Abu Dhabi International is part of the airport's $6.8 billion expansion project. The tower, design by French company Aeroport de Paris Ingenierie, has a price tag of $109 million and is scheduled to open in 2010 (though when I visited in October 2010, its opening still seemed to be a ways in the future).

The tower stands 110 meters high--the tallest in the region--and is located at the midpoint between the two major runways. The tower allows the airport to expand operations to handle about 70 flights per hour, and is one of the first steps to construction of the new Midfield Terminal which is expected to open in 2015. Once the projects are complete the airport will be able to safely and efficiently handle 20 million passengers per year.

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Abu Dhabi Airport is the world's fastest growing airport, primarily because it is the hub of Etihad Airways, the world's fastest growing airline. The airport is currently undergoing some $6B worth of construction in order to expand the capacity to handle about 12 million passengers per year.

The airport has a great duty free area with numerous shops selling everything from luxury goods to candy. Upstairs from the duty free shops you will find several restaurants including an English pub.

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Etihad, which translates into union or united, is the fastest growing airline in the history of aviation. It started operations in 2003 as the official airline of the UAE, and it made an US $8 billion aircraft purchase less than a year later. In 2008 Etihad made the largest single aircraft purchase in aviation history when it bought 2005 aircraft.

Public bus (they should call it coach I suppose as it's a long distance trip) was my best way to go to Adu Dhabi. It costs only 20 AED to go there from Dubai and 15 AED to come back. The bus has air conditioning (as all other public buses). It took 1 hour and 40 minutes to get to the Grand Mosque. For me, the Grand Mosque is a must-see or even the only must-see in Abu Dhabi. So you should definitely not miss it. You should ask the driver to drop you there, otherwise you'll have to take a taxi to come back from the city. The public can take 50 minutes to come here. Although it's dirt cheap (1 AED to go anythere by public bus in Abu Dhabi), it's not worth the time.

If you are flying on Etihad Airlines, there is a complimentary shuttle bus to Abu Dhabi from Dubai. If not, a taxi is not a bad way of getting there. I was there last month and took a cab from Abu Dhabi to Dubai Airport and was charged 270AED, which is about US$75, not bad considering it is an hour and a half to two hour drive.

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The three means of paid transportation from the airport to Abu Dhabi city are taxi, bus, or car rental. Traveling by taxi is made possible by Al Ghazal Transport taxi service, which costs Dhs. 65 (US$ 18) and takes around 35 minutes. Transportation by bus is serviced by the Abu Dhabi Municipality bus service running on bus Route 901. The air-conditioned green and white buses cost Dhs. 3 (US$ 1) to ride and depart from outside the arrivals section every 30 or 45 minutes. The major rent a car companies have offices at the airport and a complete list of car rental/hire companies are as following:
Car Rental/Hire
AVIS (2) 575 7180
Budget (2) 575 7188
EuroStar (2) 575 7674
FAST (2) 575 7137
Hertz (2) 575 5331
Thrifty (2) 575 7400

Telephone Numbers:

ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Abu Dhabi
P.O.Box : 3167, Abu Dhabi
Tel : 02-5757500



ABU DHABI AIRPORT DUTY FREE

Abu Dhabi
P.O.Box : 3167, Abu Dhabi
Tel : 02-5757350

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Hi there,
For those who are interested in Getting Drivers Licence in Abu Dhabi, the following URL has all the information:

http://www.adpolice.gov.ae/en/?T=1&ID=560

Also good to know that:

The Abu Dhabi numberplate auction held on February 16 2008 has set a new world record for selling the most expensive numberplate ever auctioned. Organised by Emirates Auction in association with Abu Dhabi police, the Code 5 plate numbered g1 fetched Dhs 52.2 million. Thatfs about US$14.4 million for a numberplate. The plate is expected to adorn a luxury car that only costs a fraction of that amount.

The record is recognised by the Guiness Book of World Records, and funds from the proceedings will go towards building a world-class rehabilitation centre in Abu Dhabi for accident victims. Interestingly, a recent news article state this country doesnft even have such a proper facility yet. There is apparently one at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, but everyone knows how that place operates.

The winner of the auction is Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, if you were planning to bug the man for some cash for your own gcharityh purposes.

The auction attracted 750 participants, and generated a record Dhs 89 million, or US$24.3 million, from the sale of 90 number plates. The youngest participant was 10 years old, bidding for his father. Itfs never too early to start learning about the value of money.