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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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