King Khalid International Airport – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Located about 22 miles (35 km) north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, HRH King Fahd opened the King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in November 1983 and began scheduling flights the same year. After the King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah Airport), it is the second-largest airport in terms of landmass and is a hub for Saudia and Flynas airlines.
10 Fun Facts about KKIA
- The facility serves more than 26.6 million passengers through 51 airlines, 105 destinations and 212,000 flights annually.
- The airport consists of 5 terminals with 8 aero-bridges each plus the Royal Terminal for the kingdom’s guests government heads and the royal family.
- Designed by British architectural artist Brian Clarke, the stained glass in the Royal Mosque is considered the largest and most advanced stained glass project of the modern era.
- The airport occupies approximately 93,000 acres (375 square KMs).
- It hosts 5 separate firehouses with several modern firefighting vehicles and trained firefighters.
- KKIA boasts approximately 5,400,000 sq. ft. (500,000 square meters) of landscaping with over 225,000 trees, vines, shrubs and ground cover plants adorn the airport site and interior courtyards. All outdoor plants selected are tolerant of heat, wind and dry soil conditions.
- The airport was an alternative landing site for a NASA shuttle mission.
- Until the airport opened, what is now the Riyadh Air Base served commercial flights. Increased international and local air transport requirements necessitated the change. Closer to the city center, Riyadh Air Base is operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force.
- Located in the passenger terminal complex, a central air traffic control tower stands at 266 ft. (81 meters) tall. Its 19 floors include spaces for the radar control center, conference rooms, offices, mechanical and electrical equipment, an observation floor and the cab floor where air traffic controllers overlook the entire airport.
- KKIA operates 2 parallel runways, both 13,980 ft. (4,260 meters).
KKIA Runway and Apron Infrastructure
Runways
2
Runway length
13,796 ft. (4,205 m)
Runway width
200 ft. (60 m)
Runway shoulders
25 ft. (7.5 m) x 2
Runway paved blast pads
390 ft. (120 m) x 2
Taxiway width
75 ft. (23 m)
Taxiway shoulders
43 ft. (13 m) x 2
Cross taxiway width
92 ft. (28 m)
Cross taxiway shoulders
48 ft. (14.5 m) 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
When KKIA was looking to upgrade their runway end identifier lighting system, they found Flash Technology’s FTS 800 unidirectional voltage-driven light. Their system operates 21 lights via an external controller. It complies with FAA and ICAO lighting requirements and is compatible with air-to-ground radio controllers and remote systems.
