| Location: | Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait |
| Hub: | |
| Elevation-M: | 63 |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| R1-Length-F: | 11,155 |
| R1-Surface: | Concrete |
| Metric-Rwy: | y |
| Kuwait International Airport | |
| Iata: | KWI |
| Icao: | OKKK (previously OKBK) |
| Wmo: | 40582 |
| Type: | Public / military |
| Operator: | Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Terminal 1) Incheon Korea Airport (Terminal 4) |
| City-Served: | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Elevation-F: | 206 |
| Website: | kuwaitairport.gov.kw |
| Coordinates: | 29.2267°N 47.98°W |
| Pushpin Map: |
|
| Pushpin Label: | KWI/OKKK |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of airport in Kuwait |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Mapframe-Wikidata: | yes |
| R1-Number: | 15R/33L |
| R1-Length-M: | 3,400 |
| R2-Number: | 15L/33R |
| R2-Length-M: | 3,500 |
| R2-Length-F: | 11,483 |
| R2-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2023 |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 15,616,800 |
| Footnotes: | Sources:[1] |
Kuwait International Airport (Arabic: مطار الكويت الدولي,) is an international airport located in the Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, 15.5km (09.6miles) south of the centre of Kuwait City, spread over an area of 37.7km2. It serves as the primary hub for Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways. A portion of the airport complex is designated as Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, which contains the headquarters of the Kuwait Air Force, as well as the Kuwait Air Force Museum.[2]
The airport was first launched in 1927–1928.[3] It was originally envisioned as a stop for British planes on their way to British India. The current main airport structure, designed by Kenzo Tange and opened in 1979, was executed and completed by Al Hani Construction in a joint venture with Ballast Nedam of The Netherlands.
On February 27, 1991, during the final days of the Gulf War, in part of the liberation of Kuwait, the airport became the scene of a tank battle between Iraqi forces and elements of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
The airport underwent a large renovation and expansion project from 1999 to 2001, in which the former parking lot was cleared and a terminal expansion was built.
Kuwait International Airport can currently handle more than 13 million passengers a year. A new general aviation terminal was completed in 2008 under a BOT scheme and is operated by Royal Aviation.
In 2011, the Department of Civil Aviation announced the intention of extending Kuwait International Airport so it can handle more passengers and more aircraft. On October 3, 2011, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced that a new Foster + Partners designed terminal will begin construction in 2012 and will increase the annual passenger handling amount to 14 million passengers in its first phase with the option of expanding to 25 million passengers. The airport finalized formalities for the construction of the terminal, which was due to begin construction in 2012 with completion by 2016. It would be built to the south of the current terminal complex with new access routes from the Seventh Ring Road to the south of the airport compound. It is designed as a three-pointed star, with each point extending 600 meters from the star's center. Two airside hotels will form part of the new building.
In December 2012, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Public Works announced that the new Terminal at the Kuwait International Airport would be completed by the end of 2016, estimating the cost to be around 900 million Kuwaiti dinar ($3.2 billion). On May 20, 2013, the Director of Operations Management in the General Administration of Civil Aviation, Essam Al-Zamil, announced that some of the flights will be diverted to the Sheikh Saad Terminal instead of Kuwait Airport's main terminal starting in July due to the large number of passengers and the growing number of aircraft attributing to Kuwait Airport being over capacity.[4]
On May 22, 2018, Jazeera Airways launched its own dedicated terminal at Kuwait International Airport, to be called Terminal 5. It is located directly adjacent to and connected to the existing main building, but features dedicated arrival/departure areas, customs and all supporting functions in order to alleviate congestion at the main building. All Jazeera arrivals will arrive at the new terminal from opening, while departing flights will transition from the current terminal between May 22 and May 27. By May 27, all departing and arriving Jazeera flights will be handled exclusively at Terminal 5.[5]
On August 8, 2018, Terminal 4 was inaugurated to cater to all flights operated by Kuwait's national carrier, Kuwait Airways. Terminal 4 can handle 4.5 million passengers annually and eases congestion at Terminal 1. There are 2,450 additional car parking spaces in a dedicated surface lot adjacent to the terminal and connected to the building by a bridge.
From 13 March to 1 August 2020, all commercial flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airport is home to the Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, which is used by the Kuwait Air Force and has been used by Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767s since October 2014 for the fight against ISIL.[6] The gateway at Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, used by US Air Force and coalition forces, was replaced after over 20 years of operation in 2019 with the opening of Cargo City, located adjacent to a newly built ramp on the airport's western side. Cargo City is operated by the 387th Air Expeditionary Group, with the 5th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron providing additional services like maintenance for military and contract flights.[7] [8]
The airport lies at an elevation of 204feet above mean sea level. It has two runways: 15R/33L with a concrete surface measuring 3400mx46mm (11,200feetx151feetm) and 15L/33R with an asphalt surface measuring 3500mx46mm (11,500feetx151feetm).
Kuwait International Airport will have five operational, numbered terminals by 2025.
Terminal 1, designed by Kenzo Tange, is the primary building at Kuwait International Airport and houses most arriving and departing flights other than those operated by Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Airways, Aegean Airlines and flydubai, which operate out of the other terminals; it has 16 gates. The terminal also houses restaurants, duty-free shops, security checkpoints, and four lounges.
Terminal 2, designed by Foster and Partners, will expand the airport's overall capacity by 25–50 million passengers per year through the introduction of a triangular building with 28 gates, 4,500 additional parking spaces and a 400-bed air-side hotel.[9] It began construction in May 2017 and was due for completion in August 2022, but was initially delayed to 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following further delays, the new target operation date for T2 is set for 2025 or 2026.
The new terminal is environmentally sustainable, and aims to achieve LEED Gold certification.[10] It is one of the world's largest environment friendly airport projects,[11] and forms an essential part of Kuwait Vision 2035.
Originally named the Sheikh Saad General Aviation Terminal and conceived for use by private aircraft, Terminal 3 is a small building that was used exclusively by Aegean Airlines and flydubai before being shut down due to work in Terminal 2.
Inaugurated on 8 August 2018, Terminal 4 is used by all flights operated by Kuwait's national carrier, Kuwait Airways. The building was designed by the Spanish branch of the American company AECOM and built by a joint venture between Cengiz Insaat and First Kuwaiti Contractor. It is housed in a dedicated building neighboring the cargo-handling facilities on the airport compound and built over an area of 55,000 square meters. It offers five bus gates and nine boarding bridges gates, with a capacity of eight planes at the same time. Terminal 4 can handle 4.5 million passengers annually and eases congestion at Terminal 1. There are 2,450 additional car parking spaces in a dedicated surface lot adjacent to the terminal and connected to the building by a bridge.
Inaugurated in May 2018, Terminal 5 is exclusively used by Kuwait-based budget airline Jazeera Airways. Attached to Terminal 1 but with dedicated entrance/exit points, it also includes check-in zones, security checkpoints, lounges, shops, three departure gates, customs and arrival belts. It additionally offers 350 parking spaces in a multi-story facility attached to Terminal 5 by a bridge.
| Terminal | Airlines and alliances | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Terminal 1 | All international airlines arriving/departing in/from Kuwait | |
| Terminal 2 | Terminal 2 | Operation planned for Q4 2026 | |
| Terminal 3 | Terminal 3 | General aviation (closed) | |
| Terminal 4 | Terminal 4 | ||
| Terminal 5 | Terminal 5 | Jazeera Airways (most destinations) |
The following airlines offer scheduled passenger services:[12]
| Year[13] | Commercial aircraft | Non-commercial aircraft | Passengers | Freight (in metric tonnes) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 95,027 | 7,133 | 11,163,279 | 186,039 | |
| 2016 | 98,073 | 6,098 | 11,762,241 | 195,515 | |
| 2017 | 106,356 | 5,285 | 13,735,580 | 241,663 | |
| 2018 | 112,971 | 5,162 | 14,813,527 | 249,531 | |
| 2019 | 115,420 | 6,938 | 15,448,909 | 243,442 | |
| 2023 | 128,584 | 7,188 | 15,616,800 | 210,010 |