The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recognised Abu Dhabi International Airport as a recipient of the golden award for Fast Travel.

The move follows a decision by the airport to become the first in the region to adopt the latest IATA initiatives in response to growing passenger demands for more adequate and speedy travel procedures at airports.

Tony Tyler, secretary general of IATA, presented the award to James Bennett, chief executive of ADAC, during a special ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

The Fast Travel programme was initiated by IATA in a bid to reduce airline costs and enhance passenger experiences by offering self-service options.

The IATA Fast Travel program aims to help airports provide passengers with self-service options in six main areas: check-in, luggage drop-off (bags to-go), document checking, flight re-booking, self-boarding, and bag recovery.

IATA targeted five airport and airline partners to implement the full Fast Travel set of initiatives as an IATA objective for 2011.

Abu Dhabi International Airport offered to be one of the first five airports, with Etihad Airways as its partner.

This is the latest coup for Abu Dhabi International Airport, which recently achieved the Airport Carbon Accredited status at the Mapping Level of the carbon standard for the airport industry Airport Carbon Accreditation, making it the first carbon accredited airport in the Middle East and North Africa regions (MENA).

ADAC initiated its application to the programme by mapping emission sources within the direct operational boundaries of Abu Dhabi International airport as defined by the GHG protocol, calculating the annual carbon emissions, compiling a carbon footprint report and verifying it independently.

The airport footprint will form the baseline measure to which future activities and targets will be aligned.

Commenting on the recent achievement Bennett said: “We are proud to be the leading airport operator in the region to start playing our part in addressing aviation’s impact on climate change.

“A key milestone for us is the participation in Airport Carbon Accreditation.

He added: “The certification recognizes ADAC’s efforts towards applying comprehensive carbon management in the capital’s airport.

“This application also demonstrates ADAC’s commitment towards developing a sustainable future in aviation and effectively managing the environmental impacts of our operations across our five airports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

World Travel Awards Grand Final Ceremony

The prestigious World Travel Awards Grand Final will take place on January 11th at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha.

Qatar is recognised as the Middle East’s Leading Business Destination by the prestigious World Travel Awards.

Graham Cooke, president and founder, World Travel Awards, highlights how his organisation selects host destinations that are driving the industry to new heights through innovation and experimentation.

He said: “We are delighted to host our Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Qatar as it is such an exciting place to be right now with incredible opportunities within the luxury sector.

“Our Grand Final will see the winners of our five regional heats, who represent the cream of the global travel and tourism industry, compete head to head for the ultimate travel accolade.”