King Fahd International Airport (; <small></small> KFIA) , 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). 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. Domestic operations were reinitiated on 31 May 2020, and international operations resumed on 17 May 2021.

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. The site master plan was created by architecture firm Yamasaki & Associates and Boeing and completed in 1977, with construction beginning in 1983. 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.

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.

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. 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.

Airlines and destinations

<!--===Passenger===-->

<!-- WHEN ADDING A NEW ROUTE, OR ADDING AN END DATE FOR A ROUTE PLEASE ADD AN INDEPENDENT REFERENCE, ALSO ADD THE ROUTE AND LINK ON THE CORRESPONDING AIRPORTS ARTICLE AND THE AIRLINES ARTICLE IF IT IS A NEW DESTINATION, ANYTHING WHICH IS NOT REFERENCED WILL BE REMOVED. ALSO WHEN ADDING A NEW ROUTE, A FIRM DATE IS MANDATORY.-->

Statistics

At present, around 9.7 million passengers use King Fahd International Airport annually. owning . However, most of this area is undeveloped desert and an unofficial website for the airport reports a utilized area of , or .

  • 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 .

Ground transportation

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

  • List of airports in Saudi Arabia
  • Amaala International Airport
  • List of things named after Saudi kings
  • List of the busiest airports in the Middle East

References

  • FlightRadar24 Live Movement of KFIA
  • King Fahd International Airport
  • King Fahd Airport Map
  • Accident history for DMM at Aviation Safety Network