Smoking at Abu Dhabi Airport: Areas and Rules in Terminal A
Smoking is allowed at Abu Dhabi Airport - also known as Zayed International Airport (AUH). However, you can only smoke in designated indoor smoking rooms located airside in Terminal A, after passport control. Everywhere else in the terminal is smoke-free, and lighting up outside a marked room can result in a fine.
This guide provides information on the current Abu Dhabi Airport smoking lounge area options, the vaping and heated tobacco rules, and how to time a smoke break around a connection.
Can you smoke at Abu Dhabi Airport?
Smoking at Abu Dhabi Airport is allowed only inside the free, enclosed smoking rooms located airside in Terminal A. Smoking is not permitted landside inside the terminal building itself; that's limited to the marked outdoor areas near the entrances. As a general rule, cigarettes, vapes, and heated tobacco devices are all confined to the same marked rooms.
Smoking areas in Terminal A
In November 2023, Zayed International Airport moved all passenger operations to Terminal A, a huge building which stretches across four gate piers from a central terminal. After passport control, current listings show at least one enclosed smoking room on each gate pier. Each smoking room is separate from the general seating areas, available 24 hours a day, and free to use for all adults.
There are nine smoking areas located within Terminal A spread across the 65-gate concourse:
Smoking Cabin Locations:
Floor | Closest Gate |
|---|---|
2 | E2 |
3 | A1 |
3 | A9 |
3 | B10 |
3 | B21 |
3 | B49 |
3 | C27B |
3 | C29A |
3 | D44A |
Because the piers stretch some distance from the central terminal, it helps to know your gate before searching for a room. The official Zayed International Airport Interactive Map marks the current Abu Dhabi Airport smoking rooms alongside gates and lounges, and it's worth checking as soon as your gate is confirmed.
Smoking in the airport lounges
For travelers with lounge access, the Pearl Lounge near Gate D43 has a dedicated smoking area. This is available on either a pay-per-visit or a program-based basis.
Etihad's own lounges, located on floors 3 and 6, offer smoking rooms to eligible passengers, generally those in premium cabins or holding qualifying loyalty tiers. Lounge staff can point you to the room on arrival, since layouts vary.
Both the pier rooms and the lounge rooms feature an enclosed, ventilated space reserved for smoking and vaping. The pier rooms don't charge a separate fee, since they sit in the public departures area after passport control. The lounge rooms come as part of the access you've already arranged, rather than being sold on their own.
Smoking before security and outside the terminal
Before you clear security, the only smoking option is outdoors, in the designated smoking areas near the terminal entrances (landside). There's no indoor smoking permitted before passport control, so if you're dropping someone off or arriving early, the entrance-level outdoor spot is the one to use.
If you're transiting or connecting and already airside, there's no need to re-clear security just to reach a landside area; it takes time you likely don't have, and the airside pier rooms serve the same purpose without the detour. Save the outdoor stop for when you're genuinely outside the secure zone, such as right after arrival.
The rules: what you can and cannot do
Smoking and vaping outside the designated smoking rooms is prohibited throughout Zayed International Airport, including at gates, restrooms, corridors, and general seating areas. UAE Federal Law No. 15 of 2009 on Tobacco Control governs where smoking is permitted in public places, and a minimum fine of AED 500 applies for smoking outside a marked area.
All rooms are staffed and maintained like any other airport facility, so they may close temporarily for cleaning or repairs. When that happens, signage or nearby staff will usually point you to the nearest alternative, whether another pier room or a lounge option if you have access. Outside of those rules, there's nothing unusual to plan for: simply keep your device with you, use the marked room when you need it, and allow enough time to get back to your gate.
Vaping and heated tobacco at Abu Dhabi Airport
Vapes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco devices follow the same rule as cigarettes: they're confined to the designated smoking rooms, whether that's a pier room airside or a room inside a lounge. There's no separate vaping zone and no exception for heated tobacco, so a Ploom session belongs in the same marked space as cigarettes and vapes. With no ash and no lingering smell of smoke, it's a considerate way to share that room with other travelers.
Devices and spare batteries need to travel in your hand luggage rather than checked baggage, in line with standard airline battery rules, and e-liquids follow the usual 100ml per container limit for cabin bags. Policies can vary by airline and destination, so it's your responsibility to check all guidance, legal regulations, and customs regulations around the purchase, possession, importation, and use of products during your journey and at your destination.
For more information on carrying your device, see our guide to traveling abroad with heated tobacco, or discover more about how heated tobacco works. Traveling via Dubai International Airport? Read our DXB Smoking Guide.
Planning a smoke break: departing, connecting, or arriving
Departing
If you're departing, start by confirming your gate, then look for the smoking room in that pier once you're through passport control. It's often easier to settle in with a coffee or a browse through duty-free before heading for a smoke break.
Connecting
If you're catching a connecting flight, follow the purple Transfer signs from your arrival gate and clear transfer screening before checking your new gate on the departure screens. Etihad-to-Etihad connections can run as short as 45 minutes, per the airport's official transfer guidance, so on a tight layover, boarding takes priority over a smoke break; only stop at the pier room once you know you have time to spare.
Arriving
If you've just landed and are heading through immigration and baggage claim, there are no smoking rooms in that arrivals path. The first option is the designated outdoor area landside, once you're past baggage claim and out of the terminal.
Lounge guests
If you have lounge access, the Pearl Lounge near Gate D43 and the Etihad lounges on floors 3 and 6 both include a smoking room among their facilities, a comfortable option if your itinerary allows the extra time to reach them.
Timed walkthrough
Here's how that plays out for a passenger with an Etihad connection.
After landing, the passenger follows the purple Transfer signs to the transfer screening area.
The gate screens confirm the new gate within minutes, and the nearest pier room sits along that route rather than out of the way.
With enough time left before boarding starts, there's time for a short stop before heading straight to the gate. On a tight connection, the sequence matters more than the stop itself: confirm the gate, locate the room, watch the clock, then board.
1. Confirm your gate.
2. Locate the smoking room in your pier.
3. Check the time to your gate.
4. Head back before boarding starts.
FAQ
Yes, there is a smoking area in Abu Dhabi Airport: enclosed smoking rooms are located airside in Terminal A, with at least one within each gate pier after passport control. There's no AUH smoking area landside inside the terminal itself; that's limited to marked outdoor spots near the entrances.
You can smoke in Abu Dhabi Airport, but only inside the designated smoking rooms in Terminal A or the outdoor areas at the terminal entrances. Smoking anywhere else, including at gates or in restrooms, is prohibited and can result in a fine.
There are a number of smoking areas in Abu Dhabi Airport that sit airside in Terminal A. Each gate pier has at least one smoking area, which is reachable once you've cleared passport control. The official interactive map marks each room's exact location.
Vape is allowed in Abu Dhabi Airport under the same rule as cigarettes: it's confined to the designated smoking rooms, whether airside in a gate pier or inside a lounge. There's no separate area set aside for vaping alone.
Yes, the Abu Dhabi Airport pier smoking rooms are free to use once you're airside, with no separate charge or booking required. Lounge smoking rooms, by contrast, come as part of whatever lounge access you already hold, rather than being free on their own.
You can smoke during a layover in Abu Dhabi without a visa, as long as you remain airside within Terminal A; the pier smoking rooms are accessible from the transit area. Leaving the terminal for a landside option requires clearing immigration, which depends on your visa situation.
If the smoking room in your pier is closed, ask nearby staff for the nearest alternative, since these rooms can shut temporarily for cleaning or maintenance. Another pier room or, if you have access, a lounge smoking room are the usual fallback options.
Disclaimer:
This article is intended for general wayfinding information only and for adult nicotine product users. Airport facilities, hours, layouts, smoking-lounge access, and terminal operations can change without notice, so treat this guide as a starting point. Always follow current AUH signage, staff instructions, and official airport guidance on the day you travel.