Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
King Khalid International Airport (OERK/RUH) is Riyadh's principal international gateway, lying some 35 kilometres north of the Saudi capital. Opened in 1983 to replace the congested Riyadh International Airport, it is now a major hub for Saudia, Riyadh Air, Flynas and Flyadeal, and offers two very long parallel hard-surfaced runways with full ILS coverage, making it a straightforward if imposing destination for simulator pilots flying airliner or business-jet operations into the region.
King Khalid International Airport serves Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is operated by the state-owned Riyadh Airports Company. It is a large, heavily used international airport with multiple passenger terminals, including a dedicated Royal Terminal for state guests and the Saudi royal family, and it functions as the home hub for Saudia, Riyadh Air, Flynas and Flyadeal. For a simulator pilot the field is notable for its enormous parallel runways, one of the tallest air traffic control towers in the world, and its striking mosque with an architecturally significant stained-glass programme.
The airport lies about 35 kilometres north of the city of Riyadh in the Riyadh Region of Saudi Arabia. It sits within controlled airspace served by Riyadh Approach, with dedicated approach, tower, ground and area control frequencies, reflecting its status as one of the busiest airports in the Middle East.
King Khalid International has two physical parallel runways, both oriented 15/33. Runway 15L/33R is 13,809 feet long and runway 15R/33L is 13,791 feet long; both are hard-surfaced, lit, and equipped with ILS, giving instrument approaches to both ends of each runway.
Inbound and outbound traffic is worked by Riyadh Approach on 120 MHz. The airport broadcasts its ATIS on 127.15 MHz, with area control on 126 MHz, ground movements on 121.6 MHz and the tower on 118.6 MHz. Both runways are served by ILS, supporting instrument approaches in low visibility.
The airport was built to replace the older Riyadh International Airport, which by the 1970s was operating at maximum capacity and hemmed in by expanding city neighbourhoods. Site selection began in 1974 as part of Saudi Arabia's Airports Development Program, with construction starting in 1976. Designed by the architectural practice Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, the airport was formally opened by King Fahd on 16 November 1983 and began scheduled flights on 5 December of that year; until then, commercial traffic for Riyadh used what later became Riyadh Air Base, which was closed in 2021 and redeveloped into King Salman Park. The complex's Royal Mosque features an extensive stained-glass installation by British artist Brian Clarke, regarded as one of the largest and most technically advanced works of its kind. The airport has also served as a designated alternative landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle. In March 2023 the airport's role expanded further with the announcement of Riyadh Air, the new national carrier that uses King Khalid International as its hub.
The airport today comprises five passenger terminals. Terminal 1 handles international flights for the low-cost carriers Flynas and Flyadeal, Terminal 2 serves international flights of Saudia and Riyadh Air, Terminal 3 hosts domestic Flynas and Flyadeal services, and Terminal 4 is used by Saudia and Riyadh Air for domestic flights. Terminal 5, opened in 2016 and operated by the Dublin Airport Authority, handles international flights for foreign carriers. As a major hub airport with round-the-clock airline operations, it functions as a fully controlled international aerodrome rather than a general aviation field.