Abu Dhabi Plans Expansion of Zayed International Airport

  • Publish date: Thursday، 30 October 2025 Reading time: two min read

Abu Dhabi Airports unveils plans to expand Zayed International Airport’s capacity to 65 million passengers by 2032, with major AI and biometric upgrades.

Abu Dhabi is preparing to significantly expand Zayed International Airport, with construction due to begin in around two years, according to Abu Dhabi Airports’ chief executive Elena Sorlini. 

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The move comes as part of the emirate’s broader ambition to grow its aviation and tourism sectors and to support the expected growth of national carrier Etihad Airways. 

The master plan encompasses expanding the airport’s Terminal A—currently designed for 45 million passengers—to accommodate up to 65 million annually by 2032. 

This forecast aligns with a projected increase in annual passenger traffic to between 32 and 33 million in the current year, up from 29.4 million in 2024. 

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Technology plays a central role in the expansion. Abu Dhabi Airports plans to integrate biometrics and artificial intelligence to streamline passenger journeys—particularly for transit passengers, who currently account for some 60 % of traffic at the airport. Face-recognition biomet­rics already operate across five of nine customer touchpoints, with the remaining being rolled out; the ambitions extend to transit flows via a cutting-edge system. 

Moreover, the operator is developing a “digital twin” of the airport ecosystem to consolidate data from airlines, ground-handling, retail and other stakeholders. The digital twin, coupled with AI, aims to enhance operational decisions—such as predicting capacity bottlenecks, reducing delays and improving cost efficiency. 

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The impetus behind the expansion is twofold: firstly, Etihad now anticipates carrying 38 million passengers by 2030 (up from a prior goal of 33 million), and secondly, Abu Dhabi plans to bolster its appeal as a global destination and transit hub. 

The expansion of Zayed International Airport is both a capacity upgrade and a technological evolution—positioning Abu Dhabi to compete more strongly in the global aviation landscape, accommodate rising passenger volumes, and deliver a smoother, smarter journey experience.