New Kuwaiti Airport $2.1Bn Expansion

According to the proposal that Foster & Partners created;

Kuwait International Airport is is planning to increase the capacity of the travelers coming in and out of the airport to 13 million initially, and able to expand further at a later phase to 50 million passengers.  At present, the airport has a capacity of 5.69 million per year and can accommodate up to nearly 46,000 planes.

The terminal has three symmetrical wings that have gates coming out of each of the wings.. Each wing is 1.2 kilometres wide and all extend from a dramatic 25-metre-high central area.

The Ministry of Public Works announced that the project will start in 2012 and will be finalizes between 2016 and 2017. The expansion project is expected to cost $2.1Bn.

Kuwait airport’s expansion is part of Gulf nations’ plans to spend around $90 billion on airport development by 2020, the general manager of Fujairah International Airport told Arabian Business in June.

Gulf states are moving to position themselves a global travel hubs and this is one of eight of the planned new runways and expansions in the region.

Mouzhan Majidi, Chief Executive of Foster + Partners, commented: “The scale of the airport shows Kuwait’s great foresight in recognising the benefits of strategic investment in future infrastructure. The environmental ambitions driving the project are equally impressive.

We are pleased to have this opportunity to reveal our designs. The emblematic three-winged form will be as memorable from the air as from the ground – a new symbol of contemporary Kuwait, which resonates with its rich culture and history.”

Nikolai Malsch, a partner at Foster + Partners, said: “We look forward to continuing to work with the Ministry of Public Works and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Kuwait on the planning and design of the new airport. We have established an excellent working relationship with our client – we have a shared goal to create a terminal that is an exemplar of sustainable design and will establish Kuwait as the region’s leading air hub.”

Content taken from Foster & Partners

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