Al Bateen on track for summer certification

Al Bateen private jet airport, as the facility will be called, will be one of the largest airports for business jets in the world, said Mohammed Al Bulooki, the vice president of airline marketing and aeronautical revenue at ADAC.

The airport operator is currently fulfilling the requirements laid down by the General Civil Aviation Authority to convert the military base into a commercial air hub. “The main concerns are safety, security and air navigation services,” Al Bulooki said. “The military and civilian access also has to be segregated.”

The UAE Air Force and the Italian Air Force use the airbase and are expected to move out over the next two to four years.

Al Bateen was the first airport in Abu Dhabi, but became a secondary airfield when Abu Dhabi International Airport opened in 1982. In 2007, the Government called for the airfield to be redeveloped as a residential area. However, ADAC was able to protect the airport from redevelopment and announced last year it would become an exclusive airport for business jets.