King Abdulaziz International Airport is an aviation facility located 19 km to the north
of Jeddah. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud and inaugurated in 1981, the airport is the
busiest airport of Saudi Arabia and is third largest airport in the kingdom.
Description The airport occupies an area of 15 square
kilometers. Beside the airport proper, this includes a royal terminal, facilities of the
Royal Saudi Air Force, and housing facilities for the airport staff. Construction work on
KAIA airport began in 1974, and was finalized in 1980. Finally, on 31 May 1981, the airport
opened for service after being officially inaugurated in April 1981.
Hajj terminal
Because of Jeddah's proximity to Islam's holy city of Mecca, the airport stands for one
feature in particular: the Hajj Terminal. Specially built to handle pilgrims to take
part in the rituals associated with the annual Hajj, it offers many facilities and can accommodate
80,000 travelers at the same time. Designed by the famous Bangladeshi engineer
Fazlur Rahman Khan of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, it is known
for its tent-like roof structure, engineered by Horst Berger while part of Geiger Berger
Associates. Ten modules, each consisting of 21 "tents" of white colored Teflon-coated
fiberglass fabric suspended from pylons, are grouped together into two blocks of five modules
and separated by a landscaped mall between the blocks. Only customs, baggage handling
and similar facilities are located in an air-conditioned building. The vast majority of the complex,
called "Terminal Support Area", is a flexible, open area, conceived to function like a village,
complete with souk and mosque. Not enclosed by walls, this area is sheltered from the
intense sun while allowing for natural ventilation. The Hajj Terminal received the Aga Khan Award
for Architecture in 1983. According to the jury, "the brilliant and imaginative design
of the roofing system met the awesome challenge of covering this vast space with incomparable
elegance and beauty." At five million square feet, the Jeddah airport
Hajj Terminal is estimated to be among the world's largest air terminals after Beijing
Capital International Airport, Dubai International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.
Many airlines from Muslim and non-Muslim countries have used the Hajj Terminal.
Other terminals
Jeddah-KAIA airport serves as a major hub for Saudia who originally had the exclusive
use of the South Terminal. In 2007 however, the privately owned Saudi carriers Nas Air
and Sama Airlines were also given permission to use it. Due to the closure of Sama Airlines,
the terminal was only used by Saudia and Nas Air up until 29 May 2012, date at which Saudia
Airlines joined SkyTeam. Since then, SkyTeam airlines are also allowed to use this terminal.
The North Terminal at Jeddah airport is used by all other foreign airlines.
Expansion Project The new King Abdulaziz International Airport
three-stage development started in September 2006, and is currently scheduled for completion
in 2014. [2] Three new terminal buildings, a high-speed rail link and a capacity for
up to 80 million passengers a year are among the targets proposed for a new airport. The
project is designed to increase the airport's capacity initially from 13 million passengers
by 30 million passengers each year. The expansion includes airfield hard standing and paved
areas, lighting, fuel network systems and storm water drainage network.
There will also be a newly constructed support services building, renovation of the existing
South and North Terminals and upgrades to the existing runway and airfield systems to
accommodate the Airbus A380. The three stages, according to GACA – the General Authority
of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia, will be marked by staged capacity increase to 30mn
/ 60mn and 80mn passengers per year. Based on current traffic increases, the existing
South Terminal will need to serve about 21 million passengers per year over the next
20 years to meet growing demand. The project has reached the final stages of planning and
design, and King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has approved a budget
of SR4 billion to build the futuristic new airport to international standards. Abdullah
Al-Rehaimy, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, has said that the project
will be built by local companies. The three new crescent-shaped passenger halls
will be located to the south of the current international terminal which will be undergoing
renovation at the same time. Talal Saaty, speaking at a presentation of the project
to Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed, said that work on the improvements could start
as early as this coming September. Operational capacity for the airport, he said, would increase,
and denied that upgrading work would hamper traffic throughput. Work on renewing and upgrading
the facilities, he said, would be timed to avoid peak traffic flow. Access to the new
terminals is still in the planning and purchasing stage. An extension of Prince Majed Street
will make access direct and easy; the municipality is currently investigating the location of
land needed for the proposed extension and is addressing the problem of the compulsory
purchase of property and compensation. Southward, Prince Majed Street will connect
to the Al-Laith Highway, forming a fast north-south transit route. As well as much improved road
access, plans have been made for a high-speed rail link serving the airport. Starting at
Prince Majed Street, the link will run into the airport and hook up with terminals
Airlines and destinations Notes^1 These flights may include a stop between
Jeddah and the listed destination. However, the airlines do not have rights to transport
passengers solely between Jeddah and the intermediate stop.
Cargo Other facilities
The General Authority of Civil Aviation has the GACA Hangar at the airport.
Trolley Service The trolley service at south and north terminals
is managed and maintained by Smarti International Company, which draws its employees from foreign
nations. Statistics
Over 17 million passengers use Jeddah-KAIA airport every year.
Incidents and accidents On 25 September 1959, a Saudia reg HZ-AAF
Douglas DC-4/C-54A-5-DO, crashed shortly after take-off from Jeddah. The cause of the accident
was pilot error followed by a stall. All 67 passengers and 5 crew survived.
On 11 July 1991, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, a Douglas DC-8-61, suffered cabin pressure
problems followed by a fire due to a failed landing gear. The pilots tried to return to
the airport but failed to reach the airport as the plane crashed killing all 247 passengers
and 14 crew. On 1 March 2004, PIA Flight 2002, an Airbus
A300B4-200, burst 2 tires whilst taking off from King Abdulaziz International Airport.
Fragments of the tire were ingested by the engines, this caused the engines to catch
fire and an aborted takeoff was performed. Due to the fire substantial damage to the
engine and the left wing caused the aircraft to be written off. All 261 passengers and
12 crew survived. See also
Media related to King Abdulaziz International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
Haramain High Speed Rail Project References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the
Air Force Historical Research Agency.
External links King Abdulaziz International Airport new website
Arrivals and Departures Information on the GACA website for the King
Abdulaziz Int. Airport Development Project Airport information for OEJN at World Aero
Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
Airport information for OEJN at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
Current weather for OEJN at NOAA/NWS Accident history for JED at Aviation Safety
Network [1]