Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah inaugurated on Wednesday the new terminal at Kuwait International Airport, raising its capacity from seven to 25 million passengers annually by 2022.
The construction of T4 was carried out by a Turkish company at a cost of 174.5 million dollars. It is part of a larger plan to build a new airport in a $4.4-billion-worth contract signed with another Turkish firm.
Kuwait’s Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Services Affairs Dr. Jenan Mohsen Hassan Ramadan said during the ceremony that the new facility will provide job opportunities for Kuwaitis at the Civil Aviation Department and will develop the capabilities of Kuwait Airways.
Director General of Civil Aviation Sheikh Salman al-Sabah said the facility will turn Kuwait into an active regional hub.
The airport would witness more than 40 million travelers by 2037, with expected annual revenues of around 800 million dollars, and would create around 40,000 jobs, he said.
The project, which is part of Kuwait’s development vision 2035, was completed in a record time of two years, added Sheikh Salman.
The new terminal will be specifically used by Kuwait Airways. It stretches over 225,000 square meters, has 14 gates, duty free shops and a parking capacity of 2,450 acres.
Kuwait Airways, which was founded as Kuwait National Airways in 1953 by a group of local businessmen, was fully nationalized in 1962.
The airline, one of the oldest carriers in the Gulf, flies to 39 international destinations.
