Travel to the UAE has never been easier since it is now
one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Most of the leading airlines of the world fly into the
UAE, but you can also travel by road or sea. The vast
majority of visitors take advantage of the excellent deals
on offer through a number of tour operators. The national
airlines Gulf Air and Emirates Airlines offer a comprehensive
air service to the UAE's six international airports at
Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah
and Fujairah.
Over
40 passenger carriers operate scheduled flights to Abu
Dhabi from approximately 90 destinations world-wide. Major
international carriers include Air France, Air India,
British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, PIA, Britannia, and China
Airlines.
Airport
facilities are superb and include an award-winning 3200-square-metre
duty free shop, a 19-suite airport hotel, a golf course
400 metres from the terminal, a gym, VIP lounges, a tourist
information centre, car hire, travel agency, hotel reservation,
bank, bureau de change, internet access and a 24-hour
business centre. Raffles for Dh500,000 cash are commonplace
at the airport and there is alcohol for sale on arrival.
Abu
Dhabi airport is situated on the mainland, 35km (22 miles)
east of the city. The journey to the city centre should
take about 45 minutes, depending on the traffic.
Limousines
and Al Ghazal taxis (purple and white luxury saloons)
can be pre-booked or picked-up at the airport. Fares are
approximately Dh70. Orange and white airport taxis charge
approximately Dh40 to the city centre. Many hotels run
an airport shuttle service.
For
the return journey, Gulf Air passengers can check in at
a city terminal opposite the Beach Rotana hotel, up to
12 hours before their departure time. There is a 24-hour
courtesy shuttle service every half hour from the city
terminal to the airport.
Bus
services run from the airport to the bus station on East
Rd approximately every 20 minutes. The fare is Dh3.Note
that there is no left luggage facility at Abu Dhabi airport.
Approximate
Flight Times
From London to Abu Dhabi flight times are 6 hours 35 minutes,
to Dubai 7 hours; from Frankfurt to Dubai 6 hours; from
Hong King to Dubai 8 hours, from Los Angeles 19 hours
55 minutes, from Toronto 14 hours 10 minutes, from Sydney
16 hours 15 minutes. It takes 4 hours to fly from Nairobi
to Dubai.
Departure
Tax
You do not have to pay departure tax at any of the UAEs
airports.
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