Biggest Airport In The World King Fahd International Airport (DMM) ~776 sq. km.
King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) is located in Dammam, the capital city of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Occupying about 776km² of area, it is the largest airport in the world.
King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) is located in Dammam, the capital city of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Occupying about 776km² of area, it is the largest airport in the world.
Plans to construct the airport began in 1970. Construction work was started in 1983 and the airport opened for commercial operations in November 1999. The airline operations were shifted from the former Dhahran International Airport, which currently serves the Royal Saudi Air Force’s King Abdulaziz Air Base, to KFIA.
The airport serves all the cities of the Eastern Province besides the main urban centers, Al Khobar, Dhahran, Dammam, Ras Tanura, Qatif, and Jubail Industrial City. About 27 renowned airlines provide services at the airport. They connect the Dammam city with Europe, south-east Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.
KFIA has two parallel runways capable of accommodating larger aircraft including Airbus A340-600 and Boeing 747-400. In 2009, the airport had passenger traffic of 4.1 million and handled cargo of 82,944t. The aircraft movements recorded during the year were 41,079.
Master plan
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), a part of the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, appointed Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) to develop a master plan for the expansion of the airport facilities. The master plan design was completed between April 2008 and October 2009. NACO in collaboration with DHV and InterVISTAS also conducted non-technical studies such as investigation to increase the non-aeronautical revenues, environmental and financial-economic analysis.
“The main King Fahd Road is also connected by two major three-lane and two-lane highways.”
The master plan involves the expansion of terminals and other facilities of the airport to meet the international requirements till the year 2038. The passenger handling capacity of the airport is aimed to be increased to 16 million per year.
KFIA design
The airport is designed to handle about 12 million passengers and 125,000t of cargo per year. The buildings occupy an area of 43km², which is 5.6% of the total airport size.
The KFIA includes a residential community accommodating 3,000 people. A mosque for 2,000 worshippers is built above the car parking facility. Designed with a combination of modern and Islamic-style architecture, the mosque is situated at the center of a 46,200m² landscaped area. It is easily accessible from the passenger terminal via two air-conditioned bridges having moving belts. A third open bridge also connects the mosque.
