Abu Dhabi International Airport witnessed a total of 615,478 passengers benefit from its US pre-clearance facility in 2015, which allows travellers to process their arrival documents before landing in the US.

Of these passengers, 106,851 started their journey from Abu Dhabi, while the remaining were transfer passengers who chose to transit through AUH in order to benefit from this unique facility.

Passengers traveling to New York, Washington, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles on flights operated by the national carrier Etihad can complete immigration, customs and security clearance procedures at AUH, thereby avoiding lengthy queues upon arrival in the US.

“Our vision is to become the world’s leading airports group and we strive to achieve the highest standards in all that we do. By providing facilities such as this one, we are taking the passenger experience to the next level”, said Ali Majed Al Mansoori, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports.

The implementation of the pre-clearance facility has brought about a number of key benefits, including the introduction of the most advanced baggage screening technology which meets US TSA security standards.

The system is one of the latest airport technologies available, and highlights the importance of using enhanced software to ensure a smoother and more efficient passenger journey.

Abu Dhabi Airports recently won the Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in the Joint Projects Category for the US pre-clearance facility.  

Commenting on this achievement Al Mansoori said: “We are proud to receive this award as it is recognition of our commitment to improving passenger experience and encouraging innovation. This demonstrates our dedication to Abu Dhabi government’s drive to promote excellence. We believe that the facility has brought important benefits to our passengers and we would like to thank all our partners who were involved in delivering this capability, including Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi Police and Immigration, and the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” – TradeArabia News Service