Al Bateen Executive Airport

Al Bateen Executive Airport is a dedicated business jet airport located 6.5NM south east of Abu Dhabi city centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The airport is on the Abu Dhabi island. Other tenants include aviation assets of the UAE government.HistoryThe airport was built in the 1960s and opened in 1969. It became an international airport in 1970 and had limited connectivity with the rest of the world. Most of the destinations included major Middle Eastern and Asian cities. In 1982, all civilian air services were moved to the new Abu Dhabi International Airport (located on the mainland) and Bateen became a dedicated military airfield.In 2008, the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) converted the airport into an executive jet facility, focusing on private jets. The airport registered 3,391 aircraft movements in the first quarter of 2012. Since 2012, the airport has also been the venue for the annual Abu Dhabi Air Expo.Government useAl Bateen's tenants include a UAE Naval Aviation helicopter squadron and the Abu Dhabi Police Department air wing.Passenger airlines and destinationsRotana Jet operates private jet services from the airport, having moved all scheduled commercial operations to Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminal 2 in October 2014.Solar Impulse 2, a Swiss experimental solar powered aircraft, was given its final touches here in 2015. It used the airport as the starting point for its Around the World circumnavigation attempt. The aircraft took off on 9 March 2015 and flew to nearby Oman and then onwards to India. It was also used as the landing site for the final leg from Cairo to Abu Dhabi, landing July 25, 2016.