King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) (Arabic: ) (IATA: JED , ICAO: OEJN) is an aviation facility located 19 km to the north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the airport is Saudi Arabia's busiest and the 2nd busiet in Persian Gulf after Dubai International Airport. KAIA is the third largest airport facility in Saudi Arabia. The airport occupies an area of 15 square kilometers.^[1] 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 May 31, 1981, the airport opened for service after being officially inaugurated in April 1981.^[1]

Because of Jeddah's proximity to Islam's holy city of Mecca/Makkah, the airport stands for one feature in particular: the Hajj Terminal specially built to handle foreign pilgrims destined for Makkah to take part in the rituals associated with the annual Hajj. Many airlines from Muslim and non-Muslim countries have used the Hajj Terminal, providing the capacity needed to carry pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. It was designed by the famous Bangladeshi Engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) and engineered by Horst Berger while at Geiger Berger Associates.

The North Terminal at Jeddah airport is used by all foreign airlines. The South Terminal was reserved for the exclusive use of Saudia until 2007, when the privately owned Saudi carriers Nas Air and Sama Airlines were also given permission to use it. Jeddah-KAIA airport serves as a major hub for Saudia. However, due to the closure of Sama Airlines, the terminal is only used by Saudia and Nas Air now.

The Jeddah airport Hajj Terminal is estimated to be, at five million square feet (465,000 m²), among the world's largest air terminals after Beijing Capital International Airport, Dubai International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport. It covers over 100 acres (405,000 m²) and is known for its tent-shaped roof. Terminal 3's roof is not actually a tent, but a white colored fiberglass. The Hajj Terminal offers pilgrims many facilities, including a mosque, and can accommodate 80,000 travelers at the same time.

New King Abdulaziz International Airport Project

The new development is taking place in three stages starting in September 2006, and 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 airports 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 ^[2]

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 (Building 364) at the airport.^[10]

Trolley Service

The Trolley Service At South And North Terminal Of The Airport is managed and maintained by Smarti International Company ,which has its employees from foreign nations.It provides trolley service to passengers for arriving as well as departing.

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.^[11]
• 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.^[12]
• 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.^[13]

See also

• 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 (KADP)
• 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