Kuwait International Airport
Facts on KWI
Kuwait International Airport traces back to 1927-1928, when the airfield first began operating — decades before Kuwait's independence and long before its current terminals were built.
Source: Wikipedia
Terminal 1, still the airport's main building for most airlines, was designed by celebrated Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and opened in 1979.
Source: Wikipedia
On 2 August 1990, British Airways Flight 149, carrying 349 passengers, landed at Kuwait International just four hours after Iraq's invasion began; the Boeing 747 was later looted and destroyed, and everyone aboard was taken captive.
Source: Wikipedia
On 27 February 1991, U.S. and Iraqi forces fought a tank engagement on the airport's grounds during the Gulf War — an episode now remembered as the Battle of Kuwait International Airport.
Source: Wikipedia
The airport sits at an elevation of 204 feet (62 meters) above sea level and its two named runways run 3,400 and 3,500 meters long, one surfaced in concrete and the other in asphalt.
Source: Wikipedia
A new Terminal 2, designed by Foster + Partners as a three-pointed star with each point extending 600 meters from its center, is planned to add 28 gates and a 400-bed airside hotel while targeting LEED Gold certification.
Source: Wikipedia
Terminal 4, opened in August 2018 exclusively for Kuwait Airways, spans over 55,000 square meters with nine boarding bridges and can handle 4.5 million passengers a year.
Source: Wikipedia
Part of the airport complex is designated as Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, home to the headquarters of the Kuwait Air Force as well as the Kuwait Air Force Museum.
Source: Wikipedia