The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Tuesday officially inaugurated the start of heavy construction of Kuwait International Airport’s new passenger terminal.
The new KD1.31 billion ($4.27 billion) passenger terminal is currently being built by the Turkey-based construction company Limak Insaat, and will have the capacity to handle 25 million passengers per year and accommodate all aircraft types through 51 gates and stands.
Abdulrahman al Mutawa, the Kuwaiti Minister of Public Works, said: “This project is designed to handle 25 million passengers a year and is scalable for an additional 25 million in the future.
“In addition, the airport will include solar panels placed on the roof to generate enough energy to power 10 percent of the terminal’s electricity consumption making it one of the best airports in the world once construction is completed.”
Sheikh Salman Sabah al Salem al Humoud al Sabah, president of Kuwait’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation, added: “This dynamic and important project will meet the aspirations of travellers in terms of advanced systems, technologies, services, high levels of safety and security in addition to being an environmentally friendly project.”
Over the past 10 years, air traffic has increased by 10% annually with numbers of passengers travelling through Kuwait International Airport reaching 12 million passengers in 2016, and according to projections, the number of passengers is expected to exceed 23 million in 2027.
