Abu Dhabi is working on a detailed master plan to expand Zayed International Airport, with construction to start in two years, as home carrier Etihad Airways plans to double in size and the city targets higher inbound tourism.
The state-owned airport operator is also working on plans to capture biometrics data for transit passengers to cut queuing time and will use artificial intelligence to further improve operational efficiency, Elena Sorlini, managing director and chief executive at Abu Dhabi Airports, said on Thursday.
The airport's Terminal A, which opened two years ago, has capacity for 45 million passengers with plans to increase to 65 million.
“We opened in November 2023 and at the first board meeting, I broke the news to the board that we had to think about expansion,” she told the Skift Global Forum East event.
“By 2032, we need to have the expansion ready. And hence, we are already working on the detailed master plan of the expansion … we are planning to start digging literally in a couple of years.”
Abu Dhabi Airports is forecasting that its airports will handle 32 million to 33 million passengers this year, Ms Sorlini said. That is up from 29.4 million in 2024 and 24 million in the first nine months of 2025.
Abu Dhabi Airports operates Zayed International, Al Ain International, Al Bateen Executive, Delma Island and Sir Bani Yas Island Airport.
The expansion comes as Etihad Airways plans to carry 38 million passengers by 2030, up from a previous goal of 33 million.
Face recognition for transit passengers
Abu Dhabi Airports plans to expand its use of biometrics and also extend it to transit passengers. “Today, we have implemented a biometric solution based on face recognition in five out of the nine touchpoints of the customer journey,” Ms Sorlini said.
“We are rolling out those solutions also to the other four. The next step is really working on the transfer passengers ... we have a trial as we speak, and hopefully next year we can announce a full roll-out to the nine touchpoints.”
The airport's traffic is currently comprises 60 per cent transfer passengers, with 40 per cent point-to-point traffic. The technology is “non-intrusive, fast and seamless", helping to improve passenger experience, Ms Sorlini said.
"It helps in terms of process time, so that you get more capacity, it ensures a positive experience and is more secure," she added.
'A digital twin'
Abu Dhabi Airports is also working to aggregate data from stakeholders into a single source and transpose them on to a digital twin, which will help improve operational decision-making using AI.
"We want to use AI to better predict what is happening at the airport, as an ecosystem with stakeholders, and how we can react in a better way to minimise disruptions for our passengers and for our airlines," Ms Sorlini said.
The system is currently being tested at the airport, helping to pinpoint factors including capacity constraints or repeated delays at an airline in order to better mitigate them and help reduce costs, she said. The aim is to further expand the use of AI for travellers, she added.
“We want to keep investing in technology that enhances the customer journey – with retail, lounge use and one-to-one offers,” she said. “Our app will be used more and more to communicate with passengers – letting them know where to park, check in, queue length and time to gate – so that they can be relaxed and enjoy the experience.”
