Jeddah’s new King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAAIA) welcomed its first commercial flight on May 29, as part of the soft launch of operations at the new facility.
The airport will have a four-phase launch with the official opening in the first quarter of 2019, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said. The phased opening is aimed at ensuring that the airport is “fully functional” and that employees are well-trained, it stated.
Under phase one, a small number of domestic flights will operate between May to July. In phase two – from July to September – there will be an increase in the number of domestic flights.
By phase three, which will run from November to December, all domestic flights will be shifted to the new airport, and the final phase from January to March 2019 will see the airport accommodate domestic and international flights.
When fully open, the airport will operate 46 gates, but during the soft launch, only six gates will handle a limited number of flights, officials said. Additional gates will be opened in line with the growth in capacity. –ME website
