King Khalid International Airport
International airport serving Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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King Khalid International Airport (Arabic: مطار الملك خالد الدولي, romanized: Maṭār al-Malik Khālid al-Duwaliyy; IATA: RUH, ICAO: OERK) is an international airport located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[3] This airport consists of four passenger terminals with eight aero-bridges each, a mosque, and parking facilities for 11,600 vehicles. It includes a "Royal Terminal" designated for use by government officials, state guests, and the Saudi royal family. The airport has one of the world's tallest air traffic control towers, and two parallel runways, each 4,260 metres (13,980 ft) in length. It is one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Riyadh Airports Company.
King Khalid International Airport Maṭār al-Malik Khālid al-Duwaliyy | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Riyadh Airports Company | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Riyadh | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 16 November 1983 | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,049 ft (625 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°57′28″N 046°41′56″E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | kkia | ||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||
  RUH Location of airport in Saudi Arabia  RUH RUH (Middle East)  RUH RUH (West and Central Asia)  RUH RUH (Asia)  RUH RUH (Eurasia)  RUH RUH (Afro-Eurasia) | |||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of King Khalid International Airport | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||||||
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| Sources: AIP Saudi Arabia[2] | |||||||||||||||
The Royal Mosque was designed with a significant programme of integral art; the stained glass, by British architectural artist Brian Clarke, was a landmark work in the history of the medium, considered to be the largest and technically most advanced stained glass project of the modern period.[4]
History
Initially, the city and region was served by Riyadh International Airport. However, by the 1970s, the pre-existing airport was operating at maximum capacity and was surrounded by growing neighborhoods that hindered infrastructure expansion. In 1974, the planning and site selection of a replacement airport for the old airport began as part of the Airports Development Program. In 1976, construction of King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) began.[5] It was designed by architectural practice Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum,[6] was opened by HRH King Fahd on 16 November 1983, and opened for scheduled flights on 5 December of the same year. Until then, what is now Riyadh Air Base served commercial flights to and from Riyadh. Increased international and local air transport requirements for Riyadh made the change necessary. In 2021, Riyadh Air Base was shut down and is being redeveloped into King Salman Park.[7]
This airport was an alternative landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle.[8]
On 27 July 2010 at 11:38 local time, Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460, an MD-11 registered D-ALCQ, crashed upon landing at the airport and was damaged beyond repair in the ensuing fire. The pilot in command and the first officer – the only two persons on board – were injured.[9][10][11]
On 12 March 2023, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, formally announced the establishment of Riyadh Air. Riyadh Air uses the airport as a hub.[12][13]
Between 6 and 12 October 2026, the Houthis carried out a series of strikes on the airport, killing 18 people, injuring over 300 others.[14] During the attacks, a Saudia Airbus A320 was destroyed, leading to the temporary suspension of airport operations.[15][16][17][18]
Structure and facilities
Terminals
Passenger terminals
There are five main passenger terminals at the airport; four of them were built when the airport started operations in 1983, and Terminal 5 was opened in 2016.
- Terminal 1 is used for international flights operated by Saudi Arabian Low Cost Carriers Flynas and Flyadeal.[19]
- Terminal 2 is used for international flights of Saudia and Riyadh Air.[20]
- Terminal 3 now hosts domestic flights of Flynas, Flyadeal and Riyadh Air. It also hosted shuttle flights to Doha during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[21][22]
- Terminal 4 is used exclusively by Saudia for domestic flights.[20]
- Terminal 5 is the newest terminal which opened in 2016, which is used by all foreign carriers for international flights.[20]
Terminals 1 to 4 were built when the airport was opened in November 1983. They are connected to each other by means of three linking buildings, each 168 metres (551 ft 2 in) long. Each terminal is triangular in plan, with a base area of 47,500 square metres (511,000 sq ft). The complex includes a modern VIPs terminal plus restaurants, cafeterias, airlines offices, government departments, hotels and rent-a-car companies counters, banks, first aid clinics and commercial shops.[citation needed]
Terminal 5 is a 106,500 square metres (1,146,000 sq ft) rectangular building which can serve 16 narrow-body or 8 wide-body aircraft. Operated by Irish airport operator Dublin Airport Authority, it is Saudi's first privately run airport terminal and can handle 12 million passengers per year.[23]
The Royal Terminal
Heads of state and other high-ranking VIP visitors to the kingdom are greeted in the Royal Pavilion. The Royal Pavilion has open spaces, garden areas, and fountains. A ceremonial hall 12.5 metres (41 ft 0 in) wide and 390 metres (1,279 ft 6 in) long connects it to the mosque. The design and geometry of the building are similar to those of the other terminals architecturally and in the aesthetic respect. Arriving guests can use either air bridges or escalators to enter the building from the aircraft parking area. The ceremonial area on the airside has space for special receptions involving honor guards and bands. Like the passenger terminals, the Royal Pavilion has a triangular plan, with a roof composed of 33 arched sections rising to a high point 30 metres (98 ft 5 in) above the ground level. Glass walls and windows illuminate the interior of the building.[24]
General aviation terminal
A general aviation complex has been constructed north of runway number 1 for use by private aircraft and is reached by a special access road which runs north from the airport access highway. The general aviation facility includes a passenger terminal, aircraft parking and maintenance facilities, taxiways and parking for visitors, tenants and staff. In addition to privately owned aircraft, this facility accommodates Saudia's special flight services group. It is also home to Alsalam Aircraft Company, Ltd. Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) on Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft is performed at the uniquely designed facility.[25]
Expansion
In July 2014, German construction company Hochtief won the bid for the airport expansion which aims at increasing its capacity from 15 million to 25 million and includes construction of a new fifth terminal.[26] The contract was valued at €1.3 billion and was carried out by Hochtief with a 55% stake, along with Indian engineering company Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast and Saudi Arabian construction company Nahdat Al Emaar. Renovation of Terminals 3 and 4 was completed in May 2019.[27]Terminal 5 was partially inaugurated on 23 May 2016.[28]
King Salman International Airport
King Salman International Airport is a proposed new airport to be built over King Khalid International Airport. The new airport will have no fewer than six parallel runways and capacity for up to 100 million passengers annually.[29]
The Royal Mosque
The Royal Mosque is set within a plaza in a central position in the airport. KKIA was the first airport in Saudi Arabia to be built to then-contemporary engineering standards and the mosque was at the time of its construction the most modern in the world. It used advances in construction and engineering to create a modern complex in a vernacular Arabic style. Hexagonal in plan, and enclosing an area of over 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2), its scale, location and design make it the dominant building in the passenger complex.[30] The mosque can accommodate 5,000 worshippers inside[31] and 4,000 in the surrounding plaza.[3] The mosque's dome, 33 metres (108 ft 3 in) in diameter and internally clad in polished bronze,[32] rises 40 metres (131 ft 3 in) above the arrivals level roadway, higher than all the other structures in the passenger complex except the control tower and the mosque's minaret. The minaret, rises 39 metres (127 ft 11 in) above the northeast corner of the mosque plaza. A spiral stairway in the minaret provides access to loudspeakers that broadcast the prayer calls five times daily. There are 5,030 square metres (54,100 sq ft) of floor space on the main floor of the mosque and another 765 square metres (8,230 sq ft) on the mezzanine floor. A Islamic library off the main mosque floor has 50 square metres (540 sq ft) of user space and the same amount for storage space. The library, private offices and lavatories are located along the southeast on the southwest walls.[citation needed]
Art
The mosque's decorative and integral art constituted one of the largest art projects of its day. It marries traditional Islamic decorative elements with the work of contemporary artists.[33][34][35][36]
Separating the bronze dome from the lower part of the main building is a seven-foot (2.1 m) clerestory ring of stained-glass windows, considered to be the largest and technically most advanced stained-glass project of the modern period. The British architectural artist Brian Clarke was commissioned to design the windows through the Vesti Corporation. Clarke studied Islamic ornaments at the Quran schools in Fez and Tangier for six weeks, and produced a series of abstract designs that reflected historical pan-Islamic decorative tradition. Completed in 1982 and containing 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) of stained glass, it required the full staff of four stained-glass factories and 150 craftsmen, taking a year to fabricate.[37] The technical demands of the designs required the revival of certain traditional manufacturing techniques, the development of new ones to accommodate ornate geometric leading, and the deployment of modern technologies and materials, including screenprinting[38] and the acid-etching of float glass.[citation needed]
Below the stained glass runs a calligraphic mosaic band designed by Iranian-Armenian painter Edman Ayvazyan. The hand-cut glass-and-marble mosaic, measuring 250 square metres (2,700 sq ft) and fabricated with Clarke's assistance, was the largest in the world at the time.[39][40]
Runways and aprons
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Runways | 2 |
| Runway length | 4,205 m (13,796 ft) |
| Runway width | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Runway shoulders | 7.5 m (25 ft) x 2 |
| Runway paved blast pads | 120 m (390 ft) x 2 |
| Taxiway width | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Taxiway shoulders | 13 m (43 ft) x 2 |
| The highest point of the landing | 226 m (741 ft) |
| Cross taxiway width | 28 m (92 ft) |
| Cross taxiway shoulders | 14.5 m (48 ft) x 2 |
| Large-sized aircraft stands | 20 + 12 royal terminal |
| Small-sized aircraft stands | 22 |
| Cargo aircraft stands | 4 (Large) |
| General aviation stands | 36 |
| Helipads | 1 Royal terminal |
Air traffic control tower
The 81-metre (265 ft 9 in) tall air traffic control tower is located in the passenger terminal complex between the Royal Pavilion and the mosque.[citation needed]
An airport operations control center opened in 2022, housing over 25 agencies including operational, security, and service.[42]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Traffic statistics
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| Year | Total passengers | Total aircraft movements |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8,055,000 | 70,909 |
| 1999 | 8,234,000 | 73,336 |
| 2000 | 8,411,000 | 74,945 |
| 2001 | 8,737,000 | 75,535 |
| 2002 | 9,045,000 | 75,623 |
| 2003 | 9,168,000 | 74,600 |
| 2004 | 9,911,000 | 77,327 |
| 2005 | 10,573,000 | 84,555 |
| 2006 | 11,017,000 | 94,250 |
| 2007 | 11,783,000 | 112,210 |
| 2008 | 11,540,000 | 114,429 |
| 2009 | 12,674,000 | 127,666 |
| 2010 | 13,616,000 | 129,613 |
| 2011 | 14,898,000 | 135,757 |
| 2012 | 17,069,000 | 153,533 |
| 2013 | 18,585,000 | 161,314 |
| 2023 | 37,000,000[121] | 239,000[122] |
| 2024 | 37,000,000 | 269,000[123] |
Ground transportation
Metro
The airport is served by Line 4 of the Riyadh Metro, with the line opening on 1 December 2024.[124] The metro system helps passengers reach the city center quickly and comfortably, and the stations serving the airport include Airport T1–2, Airport T3–4 and Airport T5.[citation needed]
Future
The airport will undergo a mass expansion by 2030, by increasing its area to 57 km2 (22 mi2), consisting of three to four large passenger terminals, from two runways to six runways among other facilities and amenities. It will be able to handle 120 million passengers per year after 2030, and 185 million passengers per year by 2050. This expansion will include the airport among the world's largest airports.[29][125]
