Kuwait has opened a new 4.58 m runway and a 70 m high air traffic control tower at Kuwait International Airport, marking a key milestone in a $5.8 billion modernization program, one of the largest infrastructure efforts in the country’s history.
First launched in 2016, the airport overhaul aims to replace aging 1970s-era infrastructure while maintaining uninterrupted operations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported at the end of October that the airspace modernization package, known as package 3, is 88% complete and is valued at around $586 million.
The satellite view shows Kuwait International Airport, located about 10 miles south of Kuwait City along the country’s eastern coast. The ongoing $5.8 billion expansion includes upgrades to new terminal systems, runways and airfields.
Image courtesy of Foster + Partners
The program forms a central component of Kuwait’s Vision 2035 national development strategy, which aims to diversify the economy beyond oil and transform the country into a regional hub for trade, logistics and finance.
Vision 2035 prioritizes major transport investments, such as airport expansion, port development and new road networks, to strengthen Kuwait’s position in global trade.
“The third runway and the new control tower represent a qualitative leap in Kuwait’s air transport system,” Saad Al-Otaibi, deputy director general of the DGCA, said during a televised statement on Oct. 14 reported by Kuwait’s state news agency. “They will greatly contribute to the safety and security of landing and takeoff traffic and strengthen our position as a regional hub for air traffic and logistics services.”
Integrated modernization
The airport program is being delivered through three overlapping work packages designed to transform the site into a next-generation regional hub while maintaining service.
At its center is the new Terminal 2, a 700,000 square meter building designed by Foster + Partners and built by Turkey’s Limak İnşaat under a design-build contract exceeding $4.3 billion.
The rendering shows the interior of Kuwait International Airport’s new Terminal 2, with natural light filtering through ceiling openings designed to reduce energy demand.
Image courtesy of Foster + Partners
The terminal’s three-winged concrete roof spans more than 1.2 km and integrates passive cooling and daylight control systems that, according to Limak, will reduce energy consumption by 40%.
Once completed, the facility will accommodate 25 million passengers annually, with an expansion capacity of up to 50 million. Work on the structure is about 70% complete, with completion expected in 2026, according to the DCGA.
Around the terminal, airfield infrastructure is being reconfigured to link new and existing operations areas.
Netherlands-based NACO and Spain’s Ineco prepared the airfield’s master plan and geometry, laying out layouts for new taxiways, service roads and drainage systems.
Rehabilitation of the center runway and apron network, part of Phase II, will begin now that the third runway is operational, ensuring air traffic continues without disruption during construction.
The third phase, known as Bundle 3, includes the already operational third runway and air traffic control tower, both of which were commissioned on October 30, along with the reconstruction of the east runway and infrastructure improvements to the south airfield.
The rest of the works, including new lighting, drainage and taxiway paving systems, are being developed on a 14-month schedule with an expected completion in early 2027.
DGCA awarded the contract in 2017 to a joint venture of AVIC International Holding Corp. of China and HOT Engineering & Construction Co. of Kuwait for about 489 million dollars. Follow-on agreements for tower systems, weather equipment and design oversight increased the value to about $586 million.
In 2024, the DGCA appointed Dar Al-Handasah (Shair & Partners) under a five-year agreement to oversee the construction, which includes drainage and lighting improvements, pavement rehabilitation and the integration of advanced surface movement and instrument landing systems.
The new tower replaces a smaller facility from 1986 and sits on base isolation foundations to mitigate seismic risk. Its radar suite offers 360° coverage on all three runways.
Vision 2035: Build a regional gateway
The modernization of Kuwait Airport is central to Vision 2035, the government’s long-term initiative to position the country as a regional hub for logistics, trade and aviation.
“The expansion of the airport confirms Kuwait’s commitment to develop the civil aviation sector in line with Vision 2035 and to transform the country into a regional and global commercial hub,” said Development Minister Noura Al-Mashaan.
The Ministry of Finance is financing the entire program from state revenues. When completed, the upgraded complex will feature three full-length runways, an energy-efficient terminal and integrated airside systems built to international standards.
“The opening of a new control tower and a third runway at Kuwait International Airport is part of efforts to keep key development projects on an upward trajectory,” Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority chief Sheikh Humoud Mubarak Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said in a statement on Oct. 27.
