Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) has announced that the second runway at Abu Dhabi International Airport is now operational for arrivals and departures, following the completion of the main construction in early September and certification by the regulatory authority.

The new AED 1 billion (US$272 million), 4,100m runway is located two kilometres to the north of the existing runway. Work on the project began in May-06 and includes the development of the airstrip, two major taxi-ways, two cross-field taxi-ways and two fire stations.

“ADAC has achieved significant progress in the journey to transform Abu Dhabi International into a world class gateway airport,” said ADAC chairman, Khalifa Al Mazrouei.

“The new runway will form a key part of our plan to increase total capacity at the airport that will culminate with the construction and completion of the midfield terminal facility.”

Other features of the airport masterplan include the construction of a new air traffi c control complex and the 500,000 sq metre MTC complex, in addition to extensive cargo and maintenance facilities. An extensive business park and logistics warehousing are under construction with Phase I set to come on line early next year.