King Abdulaziz International Airport Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

King Abdulaziz International Airport

IATA: JED
ICAO: OEJN

Summary

Airport type

Military/Public

Operator

General Authority of Civil Aviation

Serves

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Location

Al Madinah Al Munawwarah Road

Hub for

flyadeal
Flynas
Saudia
Nesma Airlines

Elevation AMSL

15 m / 48 ft

Coordinates

21°40′46″N 039°09′24″E / 21.67944°N 39.15667°E

Website

www.jed-airport.com

Map

JED

Location in Saudi Arabia

JED

Location in Asia

Runway

Runway	Length		Surface
Runway	m	ft	Surface
16L/34R	4,000	13,123	Asphalt
16C/34C	4,000	13,123	Concrete
16R/34L	3,800	12,467	Asphalt

Statistics (2017)

Passengers	34,000,000+
Traffic movement	226,894
Economic impact (2012)	$11.5 billion
Social impact (2012)	126.7 thousand

King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) is a very busy airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It's about 19 kilometers (12 miles) north of the city. The airport is named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was a very important leader. It first opened in 1981. KAIA is the busiest airport in Saudi Arabia and the third largest in the country!

It's a huge place, covering about 15 square kilometers (almost 6 square miles). Besides the main airport, it has a special terminal for royalty, a base for the Royal Saudi Air Force, and homes for airport workers. Building the airport started in 1974 and finished in 1980. It officially welcomed its first passengers on May 31, 1981.

Airport Terminals and Features
Future Plans and Expansion
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

Airport Terminals and Features

Hajj Terminal

Because Jeddah is close to Mecca, a holy city in Islam, the airport has a special Hajj Terminal. This terminal is built to help pilgrims who travel for the annual Hajj (a religious journey). It's so big it can handle 80,000 travelers at the same time!

The Hajj Terminal is famous for its unique tent-like roof. This design won an award in 1983 for its "brilliant and imaginative" way of covering such a large space. Only parts like customs and baggage claim are inside an air-conditioned building. Most of the area is open and designed to feel like a village, with a market (called a souk) and a mosque.

South Terminal

This open design helps keep the area cool by allowing natural air to flow through, even though it's protected from the strong sun. Because of this, some people see it as a very green and environmentally friendly building.

The Hajj Terminal is one of the largest airport terminals in the world, covering about 5 million square feet. Many airlines from different countries use this special terminal.

The airport also has other terminals:

The South Terminal is used by airlines like Flyadeal, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, and Korean Air.
The North Terminal is used by most other international airlines.

Future Plans and Expansion

Secretary John Kerry with Saudi Arabian Officials in the Royal Terminal 1

King Abdulaziz International Airport is undergoing a huge expansion project that started in 2006. This project aims to make the airport much bigger and better. It's planned to officially open in mid-2019.

The goal is to increase the airport's capacity from 13 million passengers a year to an amazing 80 million passengers!

This big expansion includes:

A brand-new passenger terminal building.
A very tall air traffic control (ATC) tower, which will be the largest ATC tower in the world at 136 meters (446 feet) tall.
New areas for planes to park and move around.
Better lighting and fuel systems.
An electronic system to guide passengers.
Improved drainage for rainwater.

Haramain High Speed Rail project

There will also be new buildings to support airport services and upgrades to the existing runways. The expansion is happening in three stages, aiming to reach capacities of 30 million, 60 million, and finally 80 million passengers per year. The new airport will also be connected to the Haramain high-speed rail project network, making it easier for people to travel to and from the airport.