The new terminal is becoming one of the most significant destinations in the Middle East. It serves as an international hub for many airlines for its operational flexibility and a harmonious connectivity while working with the global airports’ network.

Among the Middle East airports, KAIA has become the busiest airport in terms of international and domestic air traffic. In addition, it has become one of Saudi’s leading airports that handled high number of passengers in 2018. It is estimated that 35.8 billion passengers travelled through the airport in 2018.

The brand new airport, also known as Terminal (1), aims at achieving the strategic goals of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). GACA strives to achieve Navigational development and to create an operational flexibility in order to accommodate the changes in airline services and to optimize travelers’ experience so that they are better served.

  Today, KAIA is becoming a developed economic center and a prominent milestone in Saudi Arabia projects as it integrates with the development plans of the Kingdom and as it helps achieve GACA’s strategic plans to turn the area into a global hub.

KAIA is considered the most important airport among Saudi airports. It includes Saudi Airlines operations center, Mekkah Air gate, by which millions of passengers pass through annually; Hajj Terminal Complex with a total of 230 square km, and other facilities such as check-in counters, baggage handling, health care services and ground transportation and other passenger- processing facilities.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation is seeking ways to create a hub airport connecting the west with the east. The estimated size of the total terminals in the new airport is 810 square km. This helps to connect all the airlines together. It involves 220 check-in counters, 80 self-service desks, shopping centers with a total size of 27987 square meters, a three-level structure hotel built with 120 rooms, serving connecting flights / transit passengers, and a mosque that has a capacity for 3732 people.  In addition, it includes an advanced baggage handling system that has conveyor belts with an estimated length of 34 km and can process up to 7800 items of departure luggage and 900 items of arrival luggage.

Terminal (1) has 46 international and domestic gates which can handle wide-body jets such as the A380. The gates are joined by 94 walkways/ jetways that are capable of serving 70 aircrafts simultaneously. In addition to that, there are 28 aprons, the world’s highest Air Traffic Control Tower, at a high that reaches 136-meters and equipped with the most advanced Air navigation systems.   

The new airport has a Terminal operation control center that involves 44 control units. These units connect the airport network with sectors of the government and airport operators. The center controls the security and safety systems, fire and rescue systems, Airport Facility Management, Catering, maintenance and hygiene and fuel systems, e-messages, Aprons Management, Conveyor Belts management, Delayed Management, Passengers’ Flow Management, as well as, automated people mover (APM).

The Airport has three electrical load displacement control centers with an electrical power estimated at 475 MW and with a capacity of TR 110.000 of cool water. The control center has 46 pumps of firefighting foam.

There are two integrated Data systems (IDS) to operate all smart technologies in the airport.  

The airport features for its connection with Jeddah waterfront environment by an aquarium which accommodates 1 million liters. This immense aquarium is 14.2 meters high and 10 meters wide.

Railways

Due to increasing congestion of highways, the airport considered high-occupancy-vehicle use and railways that has been recently built as a solution to roadway congestion. It is connected with the Haramain Railways. The total size of the railways is approximately 12 square km. It was designed with double-track and single-track railways each of which is 519-meter long.

Parking

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