Airport Name and ICAO/IATA Code
Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (ICAO: OEJN / IATA: JED)
PS: There was a post from me in suggestion thread in 2023 but I intend to extend it further to a more detailed post so I publish it again. Aim to research on another 1-2 interesting airport(s) that not covered by existing topics these days if possible.
Location (City, Country)
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Airport Type & Size
Runways
3 individual parallel runways
16L/34R: 4,000m
16C/34C: 4,000m
16R/34L: 3,800m
Terminals
Terminal 1: The new terminal at the east of the airport opened in 2018, which is the main operation base for Saudia (SV) and most international airlines. It is in a double Y shape and have many gates for jumbojets.
South Terminal: The terminal at the west opened in 1981 when the airport opened. Now this terminal is closed but seems all stands are still working. All stands are remote stands and to be accessed by buses.
North Terminal: The terminal at the north of South Terminal and currently mostly used by non-Saudi airlines. All stands are remote stands and to be accessed by buses. It is very similar to the South Terminal in architecture.
Hajj Terminal: The very famous temporary terminal at the north of North Terminal, which is used to handle the passenger heading to Mecca for Hajj thanks to its adjacency to that city. It is a very rare type in aviation industry.
Royal Terminal: The VIP terminal at the very west of the airport with two interesting umbrellas facing to the apron. Used mostly by Saudi Arabian government.
Cargo
A major cargo area is undergoing construction at the northeast of the airport from satellite images. Not pretty sure the status quo as I didn’t find information about it.
Apron/Stands
From visual confirmation there should be around 270 stands (not considering the shared ones), mostly for passenger but some for cargo. But expansion of JED is underway and we don’t know what would it look like in near future.
Possible to have a look at this page but it is very confusing to read.
Why should this airport be added to World of Airports?
I recommend this airport mainly due to (with the sequence from high to low):
- The Hajj Terminal. This could be a reason itself as it is very distinctive in thousands of airports. It would be a recognition of its significance both in architecture and this industry.
- Very diverse terminals. There are a modern terminal, two remote-only terminals, a temporary terminal and a VIP terminal and there are a lot of potential to play with.
- Simple and efficient airport layout. 3 runways working independently provides great traffic flow for inbound and outbound flights.
- Showing the timeline of airport development to tell a story to players.
- Handful amount of local contracts to play with in both passenger and cargo.
- A good connection point to all playable airports.
I will add details of few points below.
Architectural Significance and Diversity
The famous Hajj Terminal is designed by Fazlur Rahman Khan, from SOM. The terminal looks just like a canopy under multiple tents which is inspired by Arabian culture.
The North Terminal and South Terminal was inspired by Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Seeing two airports echoes each other is a very interesting point for sure.
The Terminal 1 is more modern like many hub airports in the region with stunning architecture shapes a contrast from now and past. And therefore the airport could offer an insight to the development of the industry among past decades with different terminal types, which is generally a lacked feature in many airports.
Local Contracts Potential
Saudia (SV) is the major carrier in JED. Saudia has a variety of jets (and historical jets) in both passenger and cargo to make the airport full of different planes.
Flynas (XY) and Flyadeal (F3) are two low cost carriers based in JED. Both of them comes with widebodies.
Three of four mainline airlines will be featured at JED. These will be further discussed in [Major Airlines] section.
Major Airlines & Routes
Since the WoA has a system that makes hub airlines flies to wherever the player pleases, the section will discuss most about the airline rather than specific routes.
Saudia (SV)
Saudia is the flag carrier and the national airline of Saudi Arabia. Since Riyadh Air (RX) is established in Riyadh(RUH) and SV is expected to keep its only main base at JED gradually. Saudia operates many domestic and international flights from its JED hub. It also has its cargo fleet at JED for cargo connections.
Saudia has a very diverse fleet (and historical fleet) so it would be interesting in the game. Here are several types I would like to extend further.
- Boeing 747-300
Saudia is a major operator of B743 (19 in total) and one of them were used for Saudi’s VIP transporter (a perfect match for Royal Terminal at JED). They were in two different liveries.
BTW… Did you know Saudia is the airline that collected all Boeing 747 variants? (-SP, -100, -200, -300, -400 and -8 if you count the -8F version in) So when the 747 family is fully reworked I do expect SV to be a very good source to collect these planes.
- Boeing 767-300ER
Saudia once operated B763 and the exit door configuration is an uncommon one (4 pairs on each side, similar to BA). They have been retired not long ago and wish it could be added to the game at some point.
- Airbus A300-600
A306 from Saudia is also a cat D aircraft that missing in the game and they were retired in 2008 so not very far away from now. We have Lufthansa A306 and would like to see Saudia’s A306 as well (maybe only in the newer livery) since there is a shortage in D planes in the game now.
Flynas (XY)
Formerly Nas Air, Flynas (XY) is a low cost carrier in Saudi Arabia with an operation base in JED. It operates flights to many Arabian and European destinations. Seems it does not fly to any existing playable airport but Flynas is in the game now.
Flyadeal (F3)
Flyadeal (F3) is a low cost subsidiary of Saudia, and it operates mostly to Arabian airports from JED base. It does not fly to any playable airport as of now and it is also missing in the game.
Meanwhile F3 has ordered A330-900neo through its parent company Saudia recently in addition to its A330-200/-300 widebodies in the fleet.
Notable International Carriers
Currently Air India (AI), British Airways (BA), Egypt Air (MS), Emirates (EK), Etihad (EY), Garuda Indonesia (GA), Oman Air (WY, to MCT), and Qatar Airways (QR) operates flight to JED. There are also budget carriers such as Air Asia X (D7), Scoot (TR).
Something worth to mention EK flies its A388s between DXB and JED. And three A388s daily.
https://www.emirates.com/english/destinations/dxb/jed/flights-from-dubai-to-jeddah/
Unique Features or Challenges
Hajj Terminal and Royal Terminal
The Hajj Terminal offers potential for many event contracts and reward contracts, especially during the time for Hajj. There are a lot of examples where airlines use very rare aircraft to carry out such mission.
See an example of this (just an example, not selling Sam Chui of course):
Trip Report: Onboard a HAJJ Flight - Garuda Indonesia B747-400
The Royal Terminal, on the other hand is a good spot for VIP and military transporters. Players can make permanent contracts and event arrivals from governments worldwide to make the airport diverse.
Shared Stands for Flexibility but also Challenges
There are a large number of shared stands at JED which become a challenge for players to manage them wisely to ensure efficient operation by distributing arriving planes wisely to avoid bottlenecks.
Garden in Terminal 1
There is a garden between main passenger building and concourses. Would suggest the potential for an easter egg through interaction with the garden.
Super Tall ATC Tower
JED’s ATC tower is located at the north of Terminal 1 and it is the second tallest in the world (after KUL) upon its completion so we can expect very good view from the ATC tower
Optional: Links, images, maps, or videos
The masterplan showing a 4th runway and additional terminals.
The wikipedia link of JED:
The official website of JED:
BTW I sincerely appreciate those who took the photos although I don’t really want to make a full list of credit like what I did when I went to university!