The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has announced the transfer of the first foreign airlines to Terminal (1) at the new King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA). It was announced that all of Etihad Airways flights (round trips) would be shifted to Terminal (1) starting on Monday, the 18th of November. The schedule will be for three daily flights from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. GACA explained that flights transfer plan to Terminal (1) at the new King Abdulaziz International Airport was prepared in cooperation with national and international airlines, and the flights schedule will be incremented gradually to ensure high efficiency. Etihad Airways is the first Gulf and international airliner to transfer its flights to Terminal (1) at the new King Abdulaziz International Airport. The new terminal will allow all national and international airliners to operate under one roof. The total area of Terminal (1) covers an area of (810) thousand square meters, and can accommodate more than (30) million passengers annually. The terminal includes (220) check-in counters and (80) self-service counters. The terminal is equipped with (46) gates for international and domestic flights, including gates that can accommodate large bodied aircrafts, such as (A380). The gates are connected to (94) mobile bridge serving (70) aircrafts at once. This is in addition to a sophisticated passenger baggage handling system at a length of about 34 km, and a three-story120 room's hotel for international transit passengers. It is worth noting that the national carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines, has previously transferred its operations and flights to (35) domestic and international destinations, to Terminal (1) at the new King Abdulaziz International Airport.
