The much anticipated Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport is set to open this year, six years after its originally scheduled opening. Construction on the terminal has hit significant delays due to the pandemic and cost overruns.

The news of the terminal's progress comes a few weeks after the airport celebrated its 40th anniversary. New technology is also in the works to be introduced at the airport to reduce wait times for passengers at security checkpoints.

Delayed more than six years

The building was initially slated to open in 2017 but has been hit by severe delays. In 2019, the Midfield terminal was claimed to be more than 97% complete, according to Paddle your own Kanoo. But two years later, reports claimed the construction contract was going to be canceled due to unexpected incurred costs. The terminal's cost was originally set at a price tag of $3 billion.

Earlier this month, the airport confirmed that over the last three years, no further progress had been made, and the terminal remains in the same state as it did before the pandemic. However, on Friday, Momberger Airport Information reported that the terminal is finally set to open later this year, with the inauguration likely taking place on December 2, 2023, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 's National Day.

Aside from pandemic impacts, Momberger cited problems with the airport's contractor and the ailing fortunes of home carrier Etihad Airways as the reason for the delay.

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State-of-the-art

The new Midfield Terminal is part of a multi-billion dollar expansion program. Abu Dhabi Airports, the owner of Abu Dhabi International Airport and four other international airports in the UAE, said the building would be state-of-the-art and have an annual handling capacity of over 45 million passengers. It is expected to increase the airport's capacity by an extra 30 million travelers per year, equivalent to 8,500 passengers per hour.

During peak travel periods, the terminal will have the ability to handle more. The building can be expanded to serve as many as 84 million people per year, with a floor space of over 742,000 square meters, according to Paddle your own Kanoo. Plenty of duty-free shops and restaurants will also be scattered throughout, taking up 28,000 square meters. Premium lounges will reportedly cover more than 25,000 square meters.

The terminal will also feature the world's most extensive baggage handling system, according to construction company Turner & Townsend. As many as 20,000 people have worked on the construction of the terminal.

Ditching the passports for facial recognition

The news comes as Abu Dhabi Airports is reportedly set to introduce new facial recognition technology for passengers. The new biometric technology will reduce airport queuing times from check-in to boarding and eliminate the need for passengers to present passports and boarding passes at security checkpoints.

It is expected that the facial recognition system will be introduced gradually. In November, Etihad began testing the technology on flights to the US through the immigration pre-clearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

In the coming months, the biometrics system will be expanded across the airport for all airlines to use before being rolled out at the Midfield Terminal once it opens, according to The National.

Sources: Paddle your own Kanoo, Momberger Airport Information, Turner & Townsend, The National