In November 2023, Abu Dhabi International Airport operations transitioned to the new Terminal A (which was referred to as the Midfield Terminal during the long construction phase of the airport). However, the US Preclearance Facility did not move then, and there is now a new update around that.
What is US Preclearance?
US Preclearance is a process that allows travellers with a destination in the US to undergo US customs, immigration, and agricultural inspections before boarding their flight to the US rather than upon arrival. Operated by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), preclearance facilities are located in select airports outside the United States.
When departing these airports or seaports (such as Shannon in Ireland and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates), precleared travellers are treated as if they were arriving on a domestic flight. Upon arrival, they can bypass customs and immigration lines and proceed directly to their final destination.
US Preclearance at Zayed International Airport
In 2014, Abu Dhabi International Airport, which was then the hub of the wildly ambitious Etihad Airways (a different era in Etihad’s journey), launched the US Preclearance facility. Abu Dhabi was the last outpost to have been granted the ability to offer preclearance for a long time. Since then, no other airport has won the support of the US to have such a facility. Each such facility needs to be operated by US CBP officers, so it is a significant cost base to launch this facility anywhere in the world.
Pre-pandemic, this used to make Abu Dhabi my preferred transition point into the US, and I’ve used the preclearance facility more than once (despite the lousy planning of Terminal 3 of Abu Dhabi Airport).
In 2023, when Etihad migrated to the new Terminal A operations, the US Preclearance facility was not moved. This led to a less-than-ideal experience, as Etihad guests destined for the US often had to head from Terminal A to Terminal 3 after check-in to complete immigration and preclearance and then be held in the (tiny) preclearance area/lounge there rather than the sprawling new terminal.
US Preclearance at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport migrated to the new terminal.
On October 31, 2024, Abu Dhabi Airports announced the complete transition of the United States Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) facility to Zayed International Airport (AUH). The new Preclearance facility eliminates the need for queues upon arrival in the US, ensuring a smooth and expedited journey for all passengers when travelling to the United States from Abu Dhabi.
US Preclearance at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport Terminal A
On the occasion of the transition, Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said,
This milestone reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as the most convenient gateway to the United States for travellers from across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Asia, and we are proud to offer our guests this unparalleled experience. With all Etihad flights now pre-clearing in Abu Dhabi, our guests can bypass arrival queues and, if connecting within the US, enjoy seamless transfers with minimal connection times through our partner airlines. Our guests consistently tell us they value the efficiency and security that clearing customs before they arrive in the US affords them, and this is one of the many reasons they choose Etihad.
We are grateful to our partners at Abu Dhabi Airports and US Customs and Border Protection who have enabled the opening of Zayed International Airport’s new US Preclearance facility.
This is how the Preclearance facility operates, which is now located in Pier C of Terminal A, Zayed International Airport (AUH).
The consequence of the move is that the lounge for precleared passengers is no longer available. Etihad will have a lounge for their premium passengers, but a timeline has yet to be announced.
Bottomline
In 2023, Etihad moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal A at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport. The US Preclearance facility, which continued to be housed at Terminal 3, was moved to Terminal A at the end of October 2024. This means the preclearance process is now more streamlined than last year.
What do you think of Etihad’s US Preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi?
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Used this on Nov 1. Had a 20 min wait in the line to get to the Security check point. Had SSSS… But it dint seem any worse than the security check we normally do in India. Nor did it make any difference to the wait time.
After that another 15 minute wait at immigration.
Much better than having to go through all the this in the US.
Apparently the latest you can report for pre clearance is 1 hour prior to your flight. Not sure what happens if you reach later.
The pre clearance did make Etihad an attractive choice fr non US passport holders such as I when heading there however Etihad does not serve as Amy US stations as other airlines do and in the last couple of years, pre-clearance was restricted to a few US destinations [As a Boston Logan bound passenger for instance I was not pre-cleared) wonder if that has changed after the recent move.