Abu Dhabi has entered 2026 with powerful momentum in its tourism and aviation sectors, as fresh data from Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Airports points to a surge in international arrivals and transit traffic through the UAE capital. Etihad’s latest traffic statistics show a sharp jump in passenger numbers in January 2026, while airport and destination figures underline how the emirate is consolidating its position as a major global hub and increasingly as a destination in its own right.
Etihad’s January Numbers Signal a Strong Start to 2026
Etihad Airways reported that it carried 2.2 million passengers in January 2026, a 29 percent increase compared with January 2025, when 1.7 million travellers flew with the airline. The national carrier also maintained a high passenger load factor of 89.9 percent for the month, slightly higher than the 89.1 percent recorded a year earlier, indicating that aircraft are flying close to capacity even as the airline expands its network and fleet.
For an airline emerging from a period of restructuring and repositioning, the consistency of these figures is significant. Maintaining nearly 90 percent seat occupancy while adding capacity suggests that demand is not just recovering, but broadening across markets, routes, and travel segments. Leisure travellers, business passengers, and those using Abu Dhabi as a transfer point are all contributing to the uplift.
Etihad’s leadership has described January as a strong start to the year, highlighting both commercial performance and operational resilience. The airline’s chief executive has pointed to robust demand for its product and services and to the contribution of staff across the network. The emphasis is increasingly on sustainable growth that benefits the wider Abu Dhabi economy, aligning airline expansion with the emirate’s long term tourism and diversification goals.
Abu Dhabi Airports Post Record Traffic and Reinforce Hub Status
The surge in Etihad’s passenger numbers is part of a broader aviation story unfolding in the emirate. Abu Dhabi Airports, which operates five airports across the emirate including the flagship Zayed International Airport, reported more than 33 million passengers in 2025. This marks the first time Abu Dhabi’s annual traffic has surpassed the 30 million passenger threshold and caps three years of sustained double digit growth in traffic volumes.
According to the operator, traffic across the airport system has roughly doubled in the last three years, with Zayed International emerging as one of the fastest growing mega airports in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. That growth has been underpinned by an expanding network of routes, increased frequencies on high demand sectors, and the arrival or upgauging of capacity by partner and foreign airlines that feed into Etihad’s hub.
For visitors, the effect is tangible. Improved connectivity translates into more direct services, shorter travel times, and a broader choice of flight times and itineraries into Abu Dhabi. For the emirate’s tourism sector, higher airport traffic means larger audiences to target with stopover offers, onward travel packages, and short break promotions, turning transit passengers into repeat visitors.
Fleet Expansion and New Routes Power Passenger Growth
Etihad’s passenger growth in January is closely linked to its expanding fleet and network. At the beginning of 2026, the airline’s operating fleet stood at 127 aircraft, up from 101 a year earlier. This marks one of the largest single year expansions in the carrier’s history and includes wide body jets suited to long haul routes as well as aircraft deployed on regional and medium haul services.
The airline now serves around 110 destinations worldwide, compared with 94 a year earlier, incorporating a mix of year round, seasonal, and cargo routes. Among the headline announcements for early 2026 are new services to Luxembourg and Calgary, which will, for the first time, give these cities a direct air link to Abu Dhabi. The additions expand Etihad’s reach into both Europe and North America and create new one stop options for travellers heading to the Gulf, South Asia, and Asia Pacific via Abu Dhabi.
This network strategy is aligned with Abu Dhabi’s ambition to attract a diverse mix of visitors, from long haul leisure travellers and corporate guests to those combining business in the Gulf with holidays in the region. Each new route not only supports inbound tourism, but also gives Abu Dhabi based residents and regional travellers more outbound options, reinforcing the hub’s attractiveness and making it easier to maintain high load factors across the system.
Record 2025 Sets the Stage for Tourism Acceleration
The positive start to 2026 builds on what was already a record year for Etihad Airways. In 2025, the airline carried 22.4 million passengers, an increase of 21 percent compared with 2024 and the highest annual total in its history. Passenger load factor for the full year reached 88.3 percent, up two percentage points year on year, a sign that capacity was both increased and efficiently absorbed by the market.
These figures are part of a multi year growth trajectory for the airline. Over the course of 2025, Etihad added 29 aircraft to its fleet, bringing the total to 127 by year end. During the same period it launched or announced multiple new routes, particularly into European capitals and key Asian markets, while also restoring or increasing frequencies on popular leisure and visiting friends and relatives sectors.
From a tourism perspective, 2025 was therefore something of a foundation year. The large increase in passenger numbers provided Abu Dhabi’s hotels, attractions, and tour operators with an expanded customer base, while the stronger load factors demonstrated that demand exists across different seasons rather than being limited to key holiday peaks. The result is a more predictable flow of visitors throughout the year, which helps tourism businesses plan investment, staffing, and marketing with greater confidence.
Stopover Success Turns Transit Traffic into Tourism
One of the clearest indicators of Abu Dhabi’s evolving tourism strategy is the success of the Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme, run in partnership between Etihad Airways and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. The initiative offers passengers connecting through the emirate discounted or complimentary hotel stays, local transportation benefits, and access to attractions, encouraging them to break their journey and sample the destination.
Between January and April 2025, the stopover initiative attracted around 44,000 visitors, a 76 percent increase on the same period in 2024, along with approximately 25,000 bookings, up 47 percent year on year. For the full year 2024 the programme welcomed 85,000 stopover guests, compared with just 12,000 the year before, and projections for 2025 rose to more than 130,000 travellers. Many of these visitors return later for longer stays, having experienced a short introduction to the city during transit.
The programme has seen particularly strong uptake from the United States, Canada, and major European source markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, as well as from Asia, including India, Japan, and South Korea. The introduction of a digital Abu Dhabi Pass in 2025, offering complimentary airport transfers, tourist SIM cards, unlimited public bus use, and discounts at leading attractions, has further boosted its appeal and smoothed the practicalities of a short city break.
Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030 and Visitor Targets
The latest aviation and stopover data slots into Abu Dhabi’s broader Tourism Strategy 2030, which aims to attract 39.3 million visitors annually and contribute around AED 90 billion to the emirate’s gross domestic product from tourism by the end of the decade. The strategy is built around diversifying visitor segments, lengthening stays, and encouraging higher per trip spending through premium experiences, cultural programming, and world class entertainment.
Growth in airport volumes and Etihad’s passenger figures is therefore not an isolated transport story, but a core component of how Abu Dhabi intends to position itself within the global travel landscape. Each additional route and frequency increases the addressable market of potential visitors. Each new or returning stopover guest is a target for conversion to a long stay holidaymaker. Each incremental improvement in load factor supports airline profitability and justifies further investment in service, fleet, and product that, in turn, enhances the visitor experience.
The emirate’s tourism planners are also focusing on data driven marketing and a culture first approach, highlighting experiences such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn, and the Saadiyat Cultural District, alongside family attractions on Yas Island and the desert and coastal landscapes beyond the city. Aviation growth provides the connectivity needed to sustain these investments, while the destination offering gives airlines compelling stories to use in promoting Abu Dhabi to prospective travellers.
Implications for Travellers Considering Abu Dhabi in 2026
For travellers planning itineraries in 2026, the latest figures from Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi’s airports translate into concrete benefits. The 29 percent jump in January passenger traffic comes on the back of new routes and increased capacity, which typically mean a wider choice of fares, improved schedule options, and a smoother experience at a modern, purpose built hub airport.
Those passing through Abu Dhabi on long haul journeys can expect a growing number of tailored stopover options, with more hotels participating in promotional programmes and additional value added services bundled into short stays. For long stay visitors, the increased volume of arrivals supports a richer hospitality ecosystem, from luxury resorts and boutique city hotels to dining, events, and excursions designed to serve a global audience.
Crucially, the alignment between airline growth and destination strategy is helping Abu Dhabi move beyond its role as a transfer point and into the ranks of cities that travellers choose as the focus of their trip. As more people transit through the emirate in 2026 and beyond, the opportunity for Abu Dhabi to convert aviation success into tourism gains appears stronger than at any point in its recent history.
Outlook: Sustained Growth and a Rising Tourism Profile
The combination of record airport traffic in 2025, a 21 percent annual rise in Etihad’s passenger numbers last year, and a further 29 percent jump in January 2026 places Abu Dhabi on a clear upward trajectory as a tourism and aviation hub. With a fleet of 127 aircraft serving 110 destinations and more routes on the horizon, the carrier is well positioned to continue feeding visitors into the emirate’s hotels, attractions, and cultural venues.
As Abu Dhabi advances toward its 2030 visitor and GDP targets, the key questions will revolve around maintaining service quality, managing capacity growth, and ensuring that infrastructure and experiences scale in line with demand. Early indications from stopover performance, customer satisfaction surveys, and load factor data suggest that the building blocks are in place.
For now, the story of Abu Dhabi at the start of 2026 is one of convergence. Airline growth, airport expansion, and an increasingly sophisticated tourism offering are reinforcing one another, turning strong traffic statistics into tangible gains for the local economy and creating new opportunities for travellers looking for a dynamic, well connected destination in the heart of the Gulf.