Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
King Fahd International Airport (OEDF/DMM) is the principal gateway to Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, lying north-west of Dammam and ranking as the largest airport in the world by land area. Its twin 13,000-foot-plus parallel runways and full ILS coverage make it an imposing but straightforward destination for airliners and a striking waypoint for the simulator pilot exploring the Gulf region.
King Fahd International Airport serves Dammam and the wider Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and is operated by the Dammam Airports Company. It opened to commercial traffic on 28 November 1999, replacing the older Dhahran International Airport, and today acts as a hub for Flynas and Flyadeal as well as for Saudi Aramco's own aviation operation. For a simulator pilot the appeal lies in its enormous scale: vast parallel runways, a huge apron area, and a layout originally built to military specifications during the Gulf War era.
The airport sits in the northwestern part of Dammam Governorate, around 31 kilometres northwest of downtown Dammam, within controlled airspace serving the Eastern Province. Dammam Approach provides arrival and departure control for the area, and the field is one of the kingdom's four primary international airports. The former Dhahran International Airport, now King Abdulaziz Air Base, lies nearby and was the region's main airfield before King Fahd International took over commercial operations.
The airport has two physical runways, both aligned 16/34 and each around 13,140 feet long with a hard, lit surface and ILS on all four runway ends. Runway 16R/34L measures 13,142 feet and Runway 16L/34R measures 13,141 feet, giving the field two virtually identical full-length parallel strips capable of handling the largest commercial aircraft.
Radio services are provided under the Dammam callsign. Aerodrome/Delivery is on 125 MHz, Dammam Approach (Arrival/Departure) operates on 126.3 MHz, and the ATIS broadcasts on 128.05 MHz. Ground movement is split between an East Ground frequency of 121.65 MHz and a West Ground frequency of 121.75 MHz, with Tower on 124.35 MHz. All four runway ends are equipped with ILS, supporting instrument approaches in the low-visibility conditions that can occur in the region.
Planning for King Fahd International began in 1976 as part of Saudi Arabia's government-run Airports Development Program, with the site master plan produced by Yamasaki & Associates and Boeing in 1977 and construction starting in 1983. By the end of 1990 the basic infrastructure was complete, allowing US-led coalition forces to use the airport during the Gulf War in early 1991 as a storage and staging base for military aircraft, including 144 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs alongside AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook helicopters of the 101st Airborne Division, before operations shifted to Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. The General Authority of Civil Aviation opened the airport to commercial traffic on 28 November 1999, with airlines transferring from Dhahran International Airport, which was subsequently redesignated King Abdulaziz Air Base for military use. In July 2017, as part of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program, the airport was corporatised under the newly formed Dammam Airports Company. Operations were suspended entirely for a period from 21 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with domestic flights resuming on 31 May 2020 and international flights following on 17 May 2021.
King Fahd International now handles more than ten million passengers a year and is served by 37 airlines, making it the third-busiest airport in Saudi Arabia by passenger volume. It comprises three terminal buildings: a main Passenger Terminal, a dedicated Aramco Terminal used exclusively by Saudi Aramco Aviation flights, and a Royal Terminal reserved for the Saudi royal family. It functions as a hub for Flynas and Flyadeal, and Saudi Aramco Aviation uses the field to move employees to strategic company locations such as Yanbu, Tanajib and Shaybah.