Marking a major milestone, Abu Dhabi International Airport will be renamed Zayed International Airport.

The new name will come into effect from February 9 next year, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

The UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a directive ordering the change a day before the airport’s new Terminal A opens on Wednesday, November 1.

Read: Abu Dhabi’s Terminal A to open on Nov 1: Airlines to transition in 3 phases, see details

Royal visit to Abu Dhabi International Airport

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed visited Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal A on Tuesday, Abu Dhabi Media Office reported.

During the visit, Sheikh Khaled emphasised that the UAE continues to enhance its infrastructure and that Terminal A will contribute to economic development by driving tourism, trade, and business growth.

Terminal A will prioritise the passenger experience, facilitating a streamlined service from kerb to gate. It will also be the first in the world to include all nine biometric airport touchpoints. In the first phase, will see biometric solutions installed in key areas, such as self-service bag drops, immigration eGates and boarding gates.

When fully operational, it will use facial recognition technology to screen passengers and minimise wait times.

Combined with other high-tech facilities including an advanced baggage handling system capable of processing up to 19,200 bags per hour, Terminal A is poised to deliver a seamless passenger journey to travellers like never before.

It also has 65 parking stands connecting aircraft with allocated boarding gates for less congestion.