History
In 1945, the Royal Terminal and the Passenger Terminal was opened by King Sultan bin Abdulaziz. In 1948, Saudi Arabian Airlines began scheduled operations to and from Riyadh. The first runway, 11/29 was built intended to accommodate Douglas DC-3s. By 1954, passenger numbers had grown to 5,900, which prompted King Saud to establish expansion goals. In 1956, he laid a stone in the foundation, and the expansion began in 1957. When Saudi Arabian Airlines acquired Convair CV-340s, a new longer runway was built in 1956 to accommodate the aircraft, numbered 01/19. [2]
Two new lounges, a reception, and departure hall were completed in 1962, totaling the airport area to 9,300 square meters. [3] At the time, passport services were simple, as reservations for travel was done manually. Passports were also applied to international travelers at a few counters, which caused crowding during the initial years of the airport. In 1965, a runway was built parallel to 11/29, and was designated 11L/29R. It was built to accommodate Boeing 720Bs and 707s. After completion, the eastern end of runway 11/29 was abandoned, and the runway was reserved for light aircraft usage. [2] Riyadh Airport first operated a wide crushed-rock base runway, which measured approximately 1,950 meters long and 45 meters wide. Its facilities included a hangar under construction, administration, smaller buildings, and accommodations for 50 Air Force personnel. There were also grade 1,120 oil available in drums on site. There was a former camp which could accommodate 30 personnel. [4] On July 1958, a new asphalt runway commenced construction, measuring approximately 2743 meters long and 45 meters wide. It consisted of 1.5 meters of asphalt surfacing and a crushed rock end. [5] The rapid urban extension of new neighborhoods begun emerging outside Riyadh and towards the airport. By the 1970s, the airport was closed to residential neighborhoods, such as the Malaz neighborhood. [6]
In 2009, the construction of a new runway 15/33 was undertaken by Associated Engineers Company and completed in 2011. This also included the construction of a highway that went over the airport grounds, and phasing out runway 12/30. The project cost US $200 million. [7]
Reason for closure
Originally, the airport was located at a far distance from the city as shown in a 1966 declassified satellite image of Riyadh. However, by the late 1970s, the airport was surrounded by housing, meaning the construction for a new airport was necessary. In 1974, the site for the new airport was selected. In 1983, King Khalid International Airport was opened, and the airport was converted into a military airbase. The airbase was used until it was demolished between 2020 and 2021. [6] [2]
Runway layout
Before the early to mid-1960s, there were two parallel runways in Riyadh International Airport. There was a 9000 feet runway numbered 11L/29R and another shorter runway (6000–7000 feet runway) numbered 11R/29L. The shorter runway by the 1960s had closed, though in 1966 the 9000 feet runway still showed Runway 30R instead of 30. By 1966, Runway 01/19 was finished with a length of 10,100 feet, although it still needed runway markings. By the 1980s, Runway 01/19 was 13,500 feet meanwhile Runway 12/30 was 11,800 feet. In 2009-2010, a new 10,200 feet runway numbered 15/33 was built. The old runway 12/30 had closed after this. [8]
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