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
The
increasing demand for a parking lot is one reason why the new airport has a
constructed parking lot available for 21665 vehicles. The new parking has met
the demand for more vehicles, including travelers’ cars, shuttles, taxis,
rental cars, employees’ cars and the selected design has also considered the cellphone
lot.