Al Bateen Executive Airport
| Al Bateen Executive Airport Abu Dhabi | |||||||||||
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| IATA: AZI – ICAO: OMAD | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Abu Dhabi Airports Company | ||||||||||
| Serves | Abu Dhabi | ||||||||||
| Time zone | UAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 16 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°25′42″N 54°27′29″E / 24.42833°N 54.45806°ECoordinates: 24°25′42″N 54°27′29″E / 24.42833°N 54.45806°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  OMAD Location in the UAE | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Al Bateen Executive Airport (IATA: AZI, ICAO: OMAD) is a dedicated business jet airport located 6.5 nautical miles (12.0 km; 7.5 mi) south east[1] Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Other tenants include aviation assets of the UAE government.
History
The airport was built in the 1960s and opened in 1969. It became an international airport in 1970 and had limited connectivity with the rest of the world. Most of the destinations included major Middle Eastern and Asian cities. In 1982, all civilian air services were moved to the new Abu Dhabi International Airport (located on the mainland) and Bateen became a dedicated military airfield.
In 2008 the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) converted the airport into an executive jet facility, focusing on private jets. The airport registered 3,391 aircraft movements in the first quarter of 2012.[2] Since 2012, the airport has also been the venue for the annual Abu Dhabi Air Expo.
Government use
Al Bateen's tenants include a UAE Naval Aviation helicopter squadron and the Abu Dhabi Police Department air wing.
Passenger airlines and destinations
Rotana Jet operates private jet services from the airport, having moved all scheduled commercial operations to Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminal 2 in October 2014.[3]
Solar Impulse 2, a Swiss experimental solar powered aircraft, was given its final touches here in 2015. It used the airport as the starting point for its Around the World circumnavigation attempt. The aircraft took off on 9 March 2015 and flew to nearby Oman and then onwards to India. It was also used as the landing site for the final leg from Cairo to Abu Dhabi, landing July 25, 2016.
References
- 1 2 United Arab Emirates AIP Archived December 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. (login required)
- ↑ Al Bateen Executive Airport records a 26% increase in visiting aircraft movements for the first 4 months of 2012 Archived August 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Rotana jet moves to Abu Dhabi airport