You land at AUH, walk off the aircraft and everything happens in one building: Terminal A, the airport’s only passenger terminal since November 2023. Etihad Airways is based here, and so is Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. From the arrivals hall you have three ways out: the official airport taxi rank, a public bus, or a car you booked before you flew. If you want a driver waiting with your name on a board, that’s our Abu Dhabi airport transfer service. The rest of this guide is the practical detail we give every passenger who books one, and it’s useful even if you end up taking a taxi.
Zayed International Airport at a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Name and code | Zayed International Airport, AUH. Renamed from Abu Dhabi International on 9 February 2024 |
| Passenger terminal | Terminal A only. First flight 31 October 2023, all airlines moved in by 14 November 2023 |
| Based airlines | Etihad Airways (hub), Air Arabia Abu Dhabi |
| Passengers | About 29.5 million in 2024, Abu Dhabi Airports’ figure |
| Distance to the Corniche | About 35 km by road |
| Official taxi start fare | AED 20, then AED 1.82 per km |
| Road tolls | Darb in Abu Dhabi, Salik once you’re inside Dubai |
People still type “Abu Dhabi International Airport” into Google, and plenty of hotel confirmation emails still say it. Same airport. The thing to ignore is any mention of Terminal 1 or Terminal 3. Those were the old buildings, and passenger flights left them when Terminal A, built as the Midfield Terminal, opened.
One more recent fact worth knowing: in October 2026, Abu Dhabi Mobility said passengers had voted Zayed International the world’s best airport for arrival experience for the third year running in the ACI Airport Service Quality awards. In our experience the arrivals side is quick when the hall is quiet. It’s the arrival waves that slow things down.
Terminal A arrivals: what happens after you land
Every arrival follows the same order. Knowing it helps you judge how long you’ll be inside, and when to message your driver.
- Leave the aircraft. Depending on where the aircraft parks, you walk through an air bridge or ride a bus to the terminal. A bus adds a few minutes and some waiting at the door.
- Clear passport control. This is where the time goes. Etihad runs a hub, so long-haul flights tend to land in waves, and when several wide-bodies arrive in the same half hour the passport hall fills up. Abu Dhabi Airports also began rolling out biometric “Smart Travel” checks in July 2024, starting with some Etihad flights.
- Collect your bags. Check the screens for your belt. Oversized items (golf bags, prams, car seats) usually come out separately.
- Pass through customs. Most passengers walk straight through. If you’re carrying goods to declare, allow extra time.
- Walk into the arrivals hall. This is where a pre-booked driver waits with a name board. Terminal A has no published chauffeur meeting point, so message us when you reach the belt and the driver will tell you exactly where they’re standing.
Our free waiting at airports is 60 minutes, and it’s counted against your real landing time because we track the flight. If passport control looks slow, our guide to flight delays and pickup waiting time explains what to send so the driver isn’t left guessing.
Getting from Zayed International Airport to Abu Dhabi city, Yas and Saadiyat
The airport sits on the mainland, east of Abu Dhabi island. Yas Island is next door, Saadiyat is a straight run up the E12, and the city centre means crossing one of the bridges onto the island. Here are the road distances and clear-road times from Terminal A.
| Destination | Road distance | Off-peak drive |
|---|---|---|
| Yas Island (Yas Mall, Ferrari World) | 7 km | 10-15 min |
| Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque | 20 km | 20-25 min |
| Saadiyat Island (Louvre Abu Dhabi, beach hotels) | 32-34 km | 25-35 min |
| Abu Dhabi Corniche | 35 km | 30-40 min |
| Dubai Marina | 92 km | 60-75 min |
| Downtown Dubai | 111 km | 1 hr 15 min - 1 hr 30 min |
| Dubai International Airport (DXB) | 126 km | 1 hr 25 min - 1 hr 45 min |
| Al Ain | 158 km | 1 hr 35 min - 1 hr 55 min |
Distances are road routes measured on OpenStreetMap routing data from the Terminal A forecourt. Times assume free-flowing traffic, so add more in the morning and evening peaks.
Yas Island is the easy one. It’s close enough that a taxi makes sense for a solo traveller with a carry-on. People search for a free airport shuttle to Yas; we couldn’t confirm a public one, so if your hotel advertises a shuttle, check its timetable with the hotel before you fly.
Saadiyat takes you through Yas and along the E12. The beach hotels and the Louvre are spread out, so give the driver the hotel name, not just “Saadiyat”.
For the city centre and Corniche you cross Al Maqta Bridge, Sheikh Zayed Bridge or Musaffah Bridge. Each carries a Darb gate, which matters if you land in the afternoon peak (more on that below).
Al Ain is a long run inland, and our Abu Dhabi airport to Al Ain page has the route detail.
Public buses also serve the airport. Lines A1 and A2 appear on Abu Dhabi Mobility’s timetable list, and the authority publishes intercity and inter-emirate routes in its Darbi app. Check the live timetable there before you rely on a bus with heavy bags late at night.
Zayed International Airport to Dubai
Most Dubai-bound passengers go up the E11, which inside Abu Dhabi emirate is called Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road. It’s the direct line to Dubai Marina and Sheikh Zayed Road. The alternative is the inland E311, which Q Mobility, the Darb operator, names as the route that avoids the Ghantout toll gate.
Once you cross into Dubai you’re in Salik territory. The Jebel Ali gate sits on Sheikh Zayed Road near the Energy Metro station, so a Marina or Palm drop usually passes at least one Salik gate. Our Abu Dhabi airport to Dubai transfer page covers the route in more depth, including which Dubai districts suit which road.
Etihad has offered coaches to Dubai for its own passengers in the past. Check with the airline whether your ticket includes one before you count on it.
Darb tolls on airport runs
Abu Dhabi’s road toll is called Darb, and it no longer has daily or monthly caps. Here’s where the six gates are and when they charge, according to Abu Dhabi Mobility and Q Mobility.
| Gate | Location | When it charges |
|---|---|---|
| Sas Al Nakhl | Sheikh Zayed Bridge | 7-9am and 3-7pm, not Sundays or official holidays |
| Al Maqta’ | Al Maqta Bridge | 7-9am and 3-7pm, not Sundays or official holidays |
| Rabdan | Musaffah Bridge | 7-9am and 3-7pm, not Sundays or official holidays |
| Al Saadiyat | Sheikh Khalifa Bridge | 7-9am and 3-7pm, not Sundays or official holidays |
| Al Qurm | Wahat Al Karama Street at Sheikh Zayed Road | Operates 24 hours a day, every day |
| Ghantout | Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road (E11) near the Dubai border | Operates 24 hours a day, every day |
The four bridge gates charge AED 4 per crossing in peak hours, and Abu Dhabi Mobility lists the daily and monthly caps as removed. The gate list and 24-hour operation of Al Qurm and Ghantout come from Q Mobility’s Darb FAQ.
What that means on an airport run: a trip to Yas doesn’t pass a gate. A run into the city at 4pm on a weekday crosses one bridge gate. A Dubai run on the E11 passes Ghantout whatever the hour. On a pre-booked car you agree the fare before you travel, so ask for a quote that covers tolls and you won’t be counting gates. Our Salik and Darb toll guide explains how both systems bill drivers.
Taxi or private transfer from AUH?
Abu Dhabi Mobility launched a new airport taxi service on 6 October 2026 with a fleet of 800 cars run by Al Arabia Transportation Taxi Company, 500 of them dedicated to the airport. The official airport tariff is AED 20 at the flag, day or night, then AED 1.82 per km and AED 0.50 per minute of waiting. You can pay in cash, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, PayBy or by card in the Abu Dhabi Taxi app.
Do the meter arithmetic with the distances above and you get roughly AED 33 to Yas, AED 84 to the Corniche, AED 188 to Dubai Marina and AED 250 to DXB, before waiting minutes, booking fees or tolls. Those are sums from the published tariff, not quotes, and traffic changes them.
Our view on which to take:
- A solo traveller with one bag going to Yas or the city at midday: take the taxi from the rank. It’s quick and the meter stays small.
- A family of five with big suitcases, a pram or a car seat: book a Mercedes V-Class with a driver or an SUV, not a sedan. You’ll fit everything in one car, and the child seat is fitted before you land.
- Anyone heading to Dubai or Al Ain: a fixed fare agreed in advance beats watching a meter tick for over an hour.
- A late-night arrival when you’d rather not queue: a driver in the arrivals hall with your name means you walk straight out.
If you’re comparing the two in more detail, our taxi vs private transfer guide is written for Dubai but the trade-offs are the same in Abu Dhabi. Staying a few days and need a car for meetings or sightseeing? That’s our Abu Dhabi chauffeur service.
Tips from the dispatch desk
Put your flight number in the booking message, not just the landing time. We track the flight, so if Etihad is 40 minutes late the driver’s timing moves with it.
Sundays are toll-free on the bridges. If you’re flexible about a city meeting, a Sunday arrival saves the Darb charge and the roads are lighter.
If you’re travelling with children, read up on UAE child car seat rules before you pack. Children under four need a proper seat, and we fit one on request.
Heading straight to Dubai after a long-haul flight? Eat something airside first. It’s an hour or more on the E11, and the last stretch into Dubai can be slow in the evening.
