Saudi’s first privately run terminal opens at King Khalid International

Saudi Arabia’s first privately run airport terminal officially opens to passengers on Sunday at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

Arab News reports that the new 106,500-square-metre Terminal 5 will be operated by a subsidiary of Dublin Airport Authority.

The $400m terminal forms part of expansion plans designed to boost the airport’s capacity from 14 million passengers today to 40 million by 2038.

Local carrier Saudia will operate domestic flights from the terminal today, with five departures and two arrivals expected. It will initially operate routes to five destinations.

The new terminal’s facilities include 36 check-in counters, split 30 for economy class and six for first and business class, a ticket sales offices and a parking area for 3,740 cars.

Passengers will also be able to access a shuttle bus service to other terminals every 10 minutes and the site will be linked to the upcoming Riyadh Metro.

The terminal has the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually and can accommodate 16 light-bodied or eight wide-bodied aircraft.

Following it is expected to be fully operational on or before June 20.

A KKIA official was quoted as saying the first passengers would be served with chocolate to mark the opening