The airport is located 16.5 nautical miles (30.6 km; 19.0 mi) east of Abu Dhabi, and covers an area of 15,000 acres (6,000 ha).

[citation needed] In 2003, Etihad Airways was founded via a royal decree by later UAE president Khalifa Al-Nahyan, and became the new airline to be based in the airport.

[8] The new Terminal 3, a AED 1 billion (US$270 million) interim facility, was designed to allow for the airport's passenger growth before the planned opening of the new Midfield Terminal in December 2017 (which was eventually opened in November 2023).

[10] In December 2011, the government of Abu Dhabi signed a letter of intent to build a United States border preclearance facility similar to pre-clearance customs facilities in Canada, Aruba, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Ireland.

The new facility covers a floor area of over 780,000 square meters (8,400,000 sq ft), making it one of the largest airport terminal buildings in the world.

Equipped with modern and advanced facilities, it also has biometric technology to enable the screening and boarding processes to proceed faster.

The general exterior of the terminal was designed by international architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

The new terminal was due to open on 7 July 2017, then pushed back to early 2019 in time for the 2019 Special Olympics, then delayed again until the final quarter of 2019.

[22] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening date was pushed back to sometime in mid-to-late 2021; then, on 5 July 2021, a major construction contract was cancelled.

[23] The contract was with a consortium which comprises United Arab Emirates-based Arabtec, Turkey's TAV Insaat and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), with Abu Dhabi-headquartered Trojan, had been awarded the contract to finish the terminal's construction instead.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and 15 other international airlines started to operate to and from the new terminal on 1 November.

In July 2024 the airport inaugurated the "Smart Travel" project, which uses biometric data collected on arrival to the UAE to validate the identities of passengers at the stations, circumventing the need to check tickets and travel documents.

After having checked in at the City Terminal, travellers could arrive at the airport just one hour before the departure of their flight.

Close to the new cargo facilities, land has been allocated for commercial activities, business parks, and property developments.

Aircraft maintenance facilities will continue to be concentrated on the south side of the existing airport.

The plan sets aside land for the growth of other operators such as Royal Jet and Abu Dhabi Aviation.

[citation needed][needs update] The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Abu Dhabi:[42] Busiest international routes to and from Abu Dhabi Airport as of 2021:[141][needs update] Zayed International Airport is connected to the Emirate and its surroundings, including Dubai and Al Ain, by a highway network.

[143] Etihad Airways additionally provides a coach service for its passengers from Zayed International Airport to Al Ain and Downtown Dubai.