King Abdulaziz International Airport
King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) (Arabic: مطار الملك عبدالعزيز الدولي) (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 third largest air facility and busiest airport by passenger. 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 May 31, 1981, the airport opened for service after being officially inaugurated in April 1981.
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 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.
Read more about King Abdulaziz International Airport: New King Abdulaziz International Airport Project, Airlines and Destinations, Other Facilities, Statistics, Incidents and Accidents
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