The airport was first opened in 1968 under the name Al Bateen Airport (AZI/OMAD) and was located in Abu Dhabi island/city, which can be seen here. Due to the development of the city, the airport was moved and re-opened in 1982 under its current name, the Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA). The new airport is located 32km (20 miles) south-east of the city, positioned at latitude 24º 41 (N), longitude 54º 67 (E).

Airport Facilities
The modern airport has one passenger terminal which is satellite (donut) shaped with telescopic boarding walkways, which eliminates the need to walk through long airport corridors. The inside of the passenger terminal is covered with blue-tiled atrium and contains the Abu Dhabi Duty Free, which has twice won the best travel retailer in the Middle East twice. The airport also contains 1 runway that is 4.1km (2.55 miles) long, 2 cargo terminals, 12 gates, 5 baggage claim belts, and 24 aircraft stands. The airport currently accommodates 40 passenger airlines, which serve a total of 90 destinations. The airport also contains 36 check-in counters and an 18-hole sand golf course. The meet and assist services provided by the airport are handled by Golden Class.

Transportation from the Airport
The three means of paid transportation from the airport to Abu Dhabi city are taxi, bus, or car rental. Traveling by taxi is made possible by Al Ghazal Transport taxi service, which costs Dhs. 65 (US$ 18) and takes around 35 minutes. Transportation by bus is serviced by the Abu Dhabi Municipality bus service running on bus Route 901. The air-conditioned green and white buses cost Dhs. 3 (US$ 1) to ride and depart from outside the arrivals every 30 or 45 minutes. The major rent a car companies have offices at the airport and a complete list of car rental/hire companies are included to your right.

Hotels and Accommodations
The Abu Dhabi Airport Hotel [+971 (2) 575 7377] is a five star hotel with 40 rooms. Its facilities include a VIP lounge, a restaurant, bar, children’s playroom, massage chairs, health club with jacuzzi, business centre, sauna and gym. Other hotels are located in Abu Dhabi city, which require travelers to either request the hotel to pick them up or else travel by a rented car, airport bus, or taxi.

Future Plans
The airport is currently under construction to make a new runway and the enlargement of the main terminal. The airport also plans to build a new satellite shaped terminal with 11 aircraft stands by the year 2006. This terminal will contain a 200-bedroom transit hotel, a golf course, swimming pool, restaurant, cinema, health club, beauty saloon, and other facilities. More information about the development can be found here and here.

Other Information
The Abu Dhabi Intl. Airport is managed by Abu Dhabi Civil Aviation Department and maintained by Abu Dhabi Airport Services. The airport opened a check-in facility in the Abu Dhabi city known as the City Terminal on June 21st 1999. The City Terminal allows passengers to check-in their luggage and obtain a boarding pass, which reduces the time an individual would wait at the airport. This service is free for first and business classes.

Notes: The information included on this page is as accurate as possible at the time of its writing. The variants of the word Abu Dhabi are Abu Zaby, Abu Zabi, and Abu Daby.