Published: 7 September 2023
On 31 August 2023, the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the company that operates Abu Dhabi International Airport, announced that the long-delayed Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), now renamed "Terminal A," will finally open in early November.
In this timeline, we chronicle the development of "AUH" and its predecessors back to their early beginnings and reveal some previously unknown facts and rare images along the way!
In this timeline, we chronicle the development of "AUH" and its predecessors back to their early beginnings and reveal some previously unknown facts and rare images along the way!
Early history
1930: XXX
1932: XXX
1932: XXX
1960s: XXX
The 1970s
April 1970: XXX
August 1970: XXX
August 1970: XXX
1970: XXX
1 January 1974: XXX
1 January 1974: XXX
The 1980s
1980: Abu Dhabi International Airport handles 1.6 million passengers.
2 January 1982: XXXX
2 January 1982: XXXX
GALLERY: INTERIOR VIEWS OF ABU DHABI'S TERMINAL VIEW IN 1982 (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
The 1990s
1990: XXX
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The 2000s
2000: XXX
The 2010s
2010: XX
VIDEO: A JANUARY 2017 CONSTRUCTION FLYOVER
24 March 2015: XXX
The 2020s
16 March 2020: XXX
The future
Future developments: After the opening of Terminal A, Terminals 1 and 2 will be permanently closed, while Terminal 3 will be mothballed. It could be re-opened later on if necessary, for example as a remote boarding concourse or as a low-cost terminal.
With an annual capacity of 45 million annual passengers, Terminal A will be able to accommodate traffic growth for many years to come. However, if needed, Terminal A can be expanded with a satellite boarding concourse southwest of Terminal A. A tunnel, which can accommodate an automated people mover (APM), has already been built.
To be continued!
With an annual capacity of 45 million annual passengers, Terminal A will be able to accommodate traffic growth for many years to come. However, if needed, Terminal A can be expanded with a satellite boarding concourse southwest of Terminal A. A tunnel, which can accommodate an automated people mover (APM), has already been built.
To be continued!
We hope you enjoyed our little tribute to the airports of Abu Dhabi! Did you travel through Abu Dhabi recently or way back when? Share your experience in the comments below!
I would like to thank ADAC for supplying the images as well as Michael Stokes for contributing his knowledge about Gulf Aviation/Gulf Air, Al Bateen Airport, and Abu Dhabi Airfield.
For more airport articles: click here
OTHER RESOURCES:
- The Abu Dhabi International Airport official website
- The Abu Dhabi International Airport Wikipedia page
- The Al Bateen Executive Airport official website
- The Al Bateen Executive Airport Wikipedia page
- The Abu Dhabi International Airport official website
- The Abu Dhabi International Airport Wikipedia page
- The Al Bateen Executive Airport official website
- The Al Bateen Executive Airport Wikipedia page
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