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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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