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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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