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, Ra’s
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 UAE’s airports.
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