Terminal 1 As part of the 2006 development project, a new passenger terminal was constructed. At , it is one of the largest
airport terminals in the world and can handle 30 million passengers annually. Still referred to as the New Terminal, it underwent a
soft opening with a domestic flight landing from
Gurayat in May 2018. In March 2019, all of Saudia's domestic operations were transferred to operate from the new terminal. In August 2019,
Saudia started moving international operations to the new terminal, and in September of that year, the new terminal was officially named Terminal 1 and inaugurated by
King Salman. On 18 November 2019,
Etihad became the first non-Saudi airline to move to the new facility. New facilities at Terminal 1 include new lounges, a central garden, a tall aquarium that is in diameter. A mosque with a capacity of 3,732 worshippers. Also a transport center that links the terminal building to the parking area and the Airport–Jeddah station of the
Haramain High Speed Railway. It is eventually planned to handle 80 million passengers per year. , Terminal 1 handles most of the flight operations coming into
Jeddah, approximately handling 19 airlines, including
British Airways,
Emirates, and
Thai Airways International.
South Terminal Opened in 1981, the South Terminal was one of the first passenger terminals at the airport, and was initially exclusively used by the national
flag carrier,
Saudia. The architectural design of the building was modeled on
Dulles International Airport in the American capital,
Washington, D.C., and incorporated tent-like structures. The terminal building consisted of separate departure and arrival lounges, and gates equipped with
jet bridges. In 2007, Saudi low-cost carriers
Flynas and
Sama were also given permission to use the South Terminal, and later, permission to use the terminal was extended to the Indonesian flag carrier,
Garuda Indonesia, and another Saudi low-cost airline,
Flyadeal. After 40 years of service, on 26 June 2020, it was announced via the airport's official Twitter account that the South Terminal would be closed and its operations would be transferred to the newly-built Terminal 1.
North Terminal The North Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport is mainly used by non-Saudi airlines. It was originally planned to accommodate Hajj pilgrimage, however it was far too small and a site further north was selected. The roof is composed of ten modules, each consisting of twenty-one white tent-like
Teflon-coated
fiberglass structures suspended from pylons. The modules are grouped together into two blocks of five modules each, separated by a landscaped mall between the blocks.
Development projects A development project for the airport started in 2006. The plan included the construction of Terminal 1 and the tallest
air traffic control tower in the world at , airfield hard-standing and paved areas, lighting, fuel network systems, electronic passenger guidance systems and a new storm water drainage network. The development project also includes newly constructed support services building and upgrades to the existing runway and airfield systems. In 2023, it was announced that a further expansion of the airport is planned. A fourth runway and a new Terminal 2 are to be built.
Other facilities The
General Authority of Civil Aviation maintains its presence at the Building 364, the GACA Hangar. An
automated people mover (APM), constructed by
Alstom, exists to move passengers between Terminal 1 and the North Terminal. The
Royal Saudi Air Force maintains its presence at the King Abdullah Air Base located towards the north of the airport. The Number 4, Number 16, and Number 20 squadrons of the 8th Wing of the RSAF, operating
Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, use it as their home base. == Haramain High Speed Railway station ==