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.”
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Ferrari
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
