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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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