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King Fahd International Airport

Coordinates: 26°28′16.3″N 049°47′54.9″E / 26.471194°N 49.798583°E / 26.471194; 49.798583
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King Fahd International Airport
مطار الملك فهد الدولي
Mataar Al-Malik Fahd Al-Duwaly
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGACA
OperatorDammam Airports Company
ServesThe entire Eastern Province
LocationNorthwestern portion of Dammam Governorate; 31 km (19 mi) northwest of downtown Dammam
Opened28 November 1999; 26 years ago (1999-11-28)
Hub for
Time zoneAST (UTC+3:00)
Elevation AMSL22 m / 72 ft
Coordinates26°28′16.3″N 049°47′54.9″E / 26.471194°N 49.798583°E / 26.471194; 49.798583
Websitekfia.sa
Maps
DMM is located in Saudi Arabia
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Location of airport in Saudi Arabia
DMM is located in Middle East
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DMM (Middle East)
DMM is located in West and Central Asia
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DMM (West and Central Asia)
DMM is located in Asia
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DMM
DMM (Asia)
DMM is located in Eurasia
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DMM (Eurasia)
DMM is located in Afro-Eurasia
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DMM (Afro-Eurasia)
Map
Interactive map of King Fahd International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16R/34L 13,123 4,000 Asphalt
16L/34R 13,123 4,000 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers10,900,000
Cargo (tons)138,870
Aircraft movements99,500+
Destinations65

King Fahd International Airport (Arabic: مطار الملك فهد الدولي; abbr. KFIA) (IATA: DMM, ICAO: OEDF), also known as Dammam International Airport or simply Dammam Airport or King Fahd Airport, is the international airport serving Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The airport is located 31 kilometres (19 miles) northwest of downtown Dammam and is named after the former King of Saudi Arabia, Fahd ibn Abdulaziz (1921–2005). The airport serves the entire Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and is one of the four primary international airports in the kingdom.

After its construction, it became a US airbase used primarily during the Gulf War, but the airport has been overseeing commercial operations since 28 November 1999 and has since expanded to provide connections to 43 destinations. Before King Fahd International, the primary airport serving the region was the much busier Dhahran International Airport, which has since been converted for military use and is now designated the King Abdulaziz Air Base. Since 1 July 2017, the airport has been operated and managed by the Dammam Airports Company (DACO).[2][3] Commercial transport was only halted once throughout the history of the airport when, on 21 March 2020, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) announced the suspension of all domestic and international travel both within and to and from the kingdom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Domestic operations were reinitiated on 31 May 2020,[5] and international operations resumed on 17 May 2021.[6]

The third largest airport in the kingdom by passenger volume, more than 10 million passengers use King Fahd International each year, and 37 airlines operate flights in and out of the airport. The airport serves as a hub to Flynas and Flyadeal. It previously served as a hub to Saudia as well as the now defunct Sama airline and SaudiGulf Airlines. In addition to these airlines, Saudi Aramco Aviation, the airline operated by Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil giant, uses it to transport employees in and out of strategic locations such as Yanbu, Tanajib and Shaybah.[2]

The airport is served by two runways; both 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long, and consists of three terminal buildings: the Passenger Terminal serves mainstream passengers, the Aramco Terminal is used exclusively by Aramco employees to board Saudi Aramco Aviation flights and the Royal Terminal is reserved for use by the Saudi royal family. The busiest route operated between Dammam and another city is round trip to Dubai, with 70 weekly flights, an average of 10 flights a day.

History

[edit]
Top: A-10 Thunderbolt IIs parked on the taxiway of King Fahd Int'l Airport
Bottom: A MIM-104 Patriot missile battery near the airport. The terminal building and mosque can be seen in the background.

The airport is named for King Fahd (r. 1982–2005), under whose reign it was constructed and inaugurated. As part of the government-run Airports Development Program, the planning stages for the third and final international airport began in 1976.[7] The site master plan was created by architecture firm Yamasaki & Associates and Boeing and completed in 1977,[8] with construction beginning in 1983.[9] The basic infrastructure of the airport was complete by the end of 1990, which allowed the U.S-led coalition forces to use the airport during the Gulf War in early 1991 for the storage of military aircraft, including 144 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, among other aircraft such as the AH-64 Apaches and CH-47 Chinooks of the 101st Airborne Division, before operations were transferred to the Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait.[citation needed]

The General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia inaugurated the King Fahd International Airport and opened it to commercial traffic on 28 November 1999, and all airlines transferred their operations from the Dhahran International Airport, which had been in use until then. Dhahran International has since been converted for military usage and was designated the King Abdulaziz Air Base.[citation needed]

As part of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program, King Fahd International was corporatized in July 2017 under the Dammam Airports Company (DACO), which operates and maintains the airport.[10] In an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, all domestic and international flights were suspended until further notice on 21 March 2020. Following strict curfews and lowering in case numbers, domestic flights were allowed to operate once again on 31 May 2020. International flights finally resumed on 18 May 2021.[citation needed]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Air ArabiaAlexandria,[11] Cairo,[12][13] Sharjah[14]
Air CairoAssiut[citation needed]
Air IndiaMumbai[citation needed]
Air India ExpressBengaluru,[citation needed] Chennai,[citation needed] Delhi,[citation needed] Kannur,[15] Mumbai,[16] Tiruchirappalli[citation needed]
Airblue Lahore[17]
Azerbaijan AirlinesBaku[citation needed]
EgyptairAlexandria,[11] Cairo[12]
EmiratesDubai–International[18]
Ethiopian AirlinesAddis Ababa[19]
Etihad AirwaysAbu Dhabi[20]
Fly JinnahIslamabad[citation needed]
Flyadeal Karachi,[citation needed] Tabuk,[citation needed] Yanbu[citation needed]
FlydubaiDubai–International[18]
Flynas Baku,[21] Damascus,[22] Lucknow,[citation needed] Red Sea[23]
Gulf AirBahrain[24]
Himalaya AirlinesKathmandu[25]
IndiGo Lucknow[citation needed]
Iran AirMashhad[26]
Jazeera AirwaysKuwait City[citation needed] Vijayawada[27]
Kuwait AirwaysManila[28]
LufthansaFrankfurt[citation needed]
Nesma AirlinesCairo[citation needed]
Pegasus AirlinesIstanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[29]
Seasonal: Trabzon[citation needed]
Qatar AirwaysDoha[30]
Royal JordanianAmman–Queen Alia[citation needed]
SalamAirMuscat[citation needed]
Seasonal: Salalah (begins 22 July 2026)[31]
SaudiaBeijing–Daxing,[citation needed] Jeddah,[32] London–Heathrow (ends 17 April 2026),[33] Riyadh[34]

Statistics

[edit]

At present, around 9.7 million passengers use King Fahd International Airport annually.[35]

PassengersYear2,000,0004,000,0006,000,0008,000,00010,000,00012,000,0001995200020052010201520202025PassengersAnnual passenger traffic
Statistics for King Fahd International Airport
Year Total passengers % international Passenger growth Total cargo (tons) Commercial aircraft movements Movements growth
2001 2,542,000 41% Increase 0.4% 55,088 23,312 Decrease −2.5%
2002 2,578,000 39% Increase 1.4% 53,029 23,281 Decrease −0.1%
2003 2,613,000 40% Increase 1.4% 48,634 23,308 Increase 0.1%
2004 2,782,000 41% Increase 6.5% 48,065 23,778 Increase 2.0%
2005 3,013,000 40% Increase 8.3% 49,633 24,457 Increase 2.9%
2006 3,341,000 43% Increase 10.9% 59,610 29,162 Increase 19.2%
2007 4,092,000 41% Increase 15.0% 67,427 48,653 Increase 34.6%
2008 4,165,000 47% Increase 1.1% 97,596 50,926 Increase 3.9%
2009 4,422,000 48% Increase 6.8% 83,652 51,166 Increase 0.7%
2010 4,835,000 52% Increase 10.1% 83,426 56,156 Increase 10.8%
2011 5,531,000 56% Increase 15.3% 82,832 62,060 Increase 11.9%
2012 6,422,000 56% Increase 16.5% 103,421 67,390 Increase 9.6%
2013 7,311,000 55% Increase 19.1% 121,655 72,897 Increase 9.3%
2014 8,248,000 54% Increase 12.8% 115,830 79,284 Increase 9.8%
2015 9,407,000 53% Increase 14.0% 95,321 84,803 Increase 7.8%
2016 9,690,000 53% Increase 3.0% 138,870 90,134 Increase 6.3%
Busiest international routes at King Fahd International Airport (by number of flights weekly)
Rank City Number of flights
1 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 70
2 Cairo, Egypt 34
3 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 28
4 Bahrain, Bahrain 28
5 Delhi, India 21
6 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 18
7 Muscat, Oman 16
8 Mumbai, India 14
9 Istanbul, Turkey 14

Records

[edit]
  • King Fahd International Airport has been cited as the largest airport in the world by the Guinness World Records,[36] owning 780 km2 (300 sq mi). However, most of this area is undeveloped desert and an unofficial website for the airport reports a utilized area of 3,675 hectares (9,080 acres), or 36.75 km2 (14.19 sq mi).[37]
  • One of the world's shortest international flights is operated between King Fahd International Airport and Bahrain International Airport, covering a great-circle distance of 87 km (54 mi).[38]

Ground transportation

[edit]

The terminal can only be accessed via Route 605, a secondary expressway linking the cities of Khobar and Dammam in the south, and Qatif in the north; to the airport. Route 6466, a minor road and spur of Highway 40, links the highway to Route 605 and the airport. SAPTCO offers bus connections from Khobar and Dammam to the airport. Taxis are available at fixed prices to every major city and town in the kingdom, with rideshare companies such as Careem providing similar services.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "flynas hubs". Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "About King Fahd International Airport | King Fahd International Airport". kfia.gov.sa. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Where are the largest airports in the world?". Flight-Delayed.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Saudi Arabia suspending domestic flights, mass land transport in fight against COVID-19". Arab News. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Notice setting date for Saudi international flights 'is bogus'". Arab News. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Saudi airports, airlines resume international flights after COVID-19 suspension". 18 May 2021.
  7. ^ Richard Hobson and Arthur Clark (July–August 1986). "The Long Leap Forward". Saudi Aramco World. pp. 28–37. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  8. ^ KFIA project summary, retrieved 29 December 2011
  9. ^ King Fahd International Airport, Airport Technology, retrieved 29 December 2011
  10. ^ "About Us | DACO". Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Alexandria, Egypt ALY". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 28–29. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  12. ^ a b "Cairo, Egypt CAI". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 198–201. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  13. ^ "Air Arabia Egypt launches new Cairo-Dammam service". Trade Arabia. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Sharjah, United Arab Emirates SHJ". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1056–1057. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  15. ^ Ameya (19 March 2024). "Air India Express adds international flights this summer, focus on Kannur". Network Thoughts. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Air India Express launches daily direct flights from Mumbai and Hyderabad to Dammam". Hindu Dayashankar. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Airblue Announces Flights from Lahore to Major Saudi City". propakistani. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  18. ^ a b "Dubai, United Arab Emirates DXB". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 337–343. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  19. ^ "Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ADD". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 17–19. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  20. ^ "Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates AUH". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 14–16. August 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  21. ^ Novruz, Akbar (27 February 2025). "Heydar Aliyev International Airport expands route network with new flights". AzerNews.Az. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  22. ^ "Saudi low-cost carrier to launch new direct flights from Dammam to Damascus in October". Gulf News. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Flynas Celebrates Inauguration of First Flight between Red Sea Destination and Dammam". Saudi Press Agency. 29 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  24. ^ "Bahrain, Bahrain BAH". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 88–90. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  25. ^ "Welcome to Himalaya Airlines-Press". www.himalaya-airlines.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Flights resume between Iran's Mashhad and Saudi's Dammam as tensions ease". Reuters. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Jazeera Airways adds 2 Indian cities, expands network to 14 destinations".
  28. ^ "Kuwait Airways to resume service to Manila via Dammam from Apr-2026". Centre for Aviation. 7 April 2026.
  29. ^ "Turkish LLC Pegasus launches flights to Muscat and Dammam". ftnnews.com. 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  30. ^ "Qatar and Saudi Arabia to resume direct flights". Reuters. 9 January 2021.
  31. ^ "Flights from SLL from DMM". flightconnections.com. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  32. ^ "Jeddah, Saudi Arabia JED". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 597–600. August 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  33. ^ "Saudia ends flights to Dammam".
  34. ^ "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia RUH". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1091–1094. August 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  35. ^ a b "Statistics 2016". General Authority of Civil Aviation KSA.
  36. ^ Glenday, Craig (2013). Guinness World Records 2013. Random House LLC. p. 320. ISBN 9780345547118.
  37. ^ "Project Data. King Fahd International Airport. KFIA, Dammam, Eastern Province – Saudi Arabia". Total Airport Area 77,600 Hectares; Developer Areas; Total: 4,265 Hectares; Airport: 3,675 Hectares; Construction; Support/Utility Plants: 51 Hectares; Community :80 Hectares
  38. ^ "The World's Shortest International Commercial Flights | Flight Routes | OAG". www.oag.com. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  39. ^ "Location of the Airport". world-airport-codes. Archived from the original on 21 January 2010.
  40. ^ "Destinations Worldwide". theAirDB.
[edit]

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