King Khalid Int’l Airport to get an operational revamp by 1Q 2026

King Khaled Airport gearing up for overhaul: Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) is set to undergo a major operational transformation plan across its terminals in a bid to boost handling capacity and reduce wait times, according to a statement. The new shift is slated for implementation in 1Q 2026 and will be confirmed once all airport stakeholders and airlines are ready.

The shakeup: Under the new plan, Terminals 1 and 2 will serve international flights operated by Saudi carriers; Terminals 3 and 4 will be dedicated to domestic flights; and Terminal 5 will be designated for international flights for foreign carriers. The new reallocation is set to be rolled out after redesigns are completed to preserve the airport’s original design.

So, what’s changing? Terminals 1 and 3 originally served global flights operated by foreignairlines ; Terminal 4 was originally exclusively used by Saudia and flyadeal for international routes; and Terminal 5 was originally designed to serve domestic flights, according to KKIA’s website.

The airport is rapidly expanding: Riyadh Airports is working on upgrading Terminal 2 infrastructure, overhauling electromechanical, information, security, and telecommunication systems, and architectural interior. Meanwhile, US multinational infrastructure consulting firm Aecom has been involved in the expansion of King Khaled Airport, initially featuring the revamp and expansion of Terminals 3 and 4.

The long vision: The current airport will be enveloped in the future King Salman International Airport, poised to be one of the world’s largest, targeting to accommodate up to 120 mn passengers by 2030 and 185 mn by 2050. Construction is set to begin in 2Q 2026, with a targeted initial capacity of 40 mn passengers, the airport’s CEO Marco Mejia told Aleqtisadiah last week.

IN CONTEXT- The new modus operandi will come a few months after Saudi’s launch of Riyadh Air — a key piece of the push to turn Riyadh into its own regional mega aviation hub, and part of the Kingdom’s ambition to diversify the economy beyond oil, as described by the Financial Times (FT) last week. The newly launched airline aims to serve 100 cities by 2030 by adding a destination every two months.

The goal is to become a “global connector,” Riyadh Air’s CEO Tony Douglas told the FT. “If you’re a resident of Riyadh in Saudi, and want to get to other cities, you shouldn’t have to go to Doha or Dubai or somewhere else to connect,” he added.