Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has announced the transfer of the first foreign airline to Terminal 1 at the new King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah.   

 

All Etihad Airways flights would be shifted to Terminal 1 starting on November 18. The schedule includes three daily flights from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi International Airport in the UAE.

 

Saudi Arabian Airlines had previously transferred its flights to 35 domestic and international destinations to the terminal.

 

GACA explained that the flights transfer plan was prepared in cooperation with national and international airlines, and  will be incremented gradually to ensure high efficiency.

 

The new terminal will allow all national and international airlines to operate under one roof. The total area of Terminal 1 covers 810,000 sq m, and can accommodate more than 30 million passengers annually.  

 

The terminal includes 220 check-in counters and 80 self-service counters. It is equipped with 46 gates for international and domestic flights, including gates that can accommodate large bodied aircraft such as A380. The gates are connected to 94 mobile bridge serving 70 aircraft at once.  

 

It also has a sophisticated passenger baggage handling system with a length of about 34 km, and a three-storey 120- room hotel for international transit passengers. - TradeArabia News Service