JED | King Abdul Aziz International | Jeddah | Saudi Arabia

[SliverKris]

Since this airport has been my home airport for these past 3 years, I guess it is my national service duty introduce this wonderful piece of facility in the glorious Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to all SQsTalkers.

A bit of an intro, most travelers would identify JED as being the gateway into the holy city of Mecca for the annual Muslim pilgrimage of hajj and the more popular hub of flag carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines.

SQ flies into JED via AUH with no traffic rights between the 2 cities using A333, currently at 4 times a week frequency.

JED has 2 passenger terminals and 3 special purpose terminals, as follows:


NORTH TERMINAL



The North Terminal handles all foreign airlines in JED, including SQ, MH, GA, CX, EK, QR and the likes (EXCEPT AF). It is very small, only 1 storey, no aerobridge. Very spartan, which is quite shocking considering how rich a country Saudi Arabia is.


SOUTH TERMINAL



The South Terminal is the home of national carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines and 2 other Saudi LCCs, Nas Air and the bankrupted Sama Air. The terminal handles all these 3 airlines' domestic and international flights. Recent development with regards to Saudi Arabian Airlines' ambition to join SkyTeam alliance paved the way for Air France to be relocated to this terminal as well, thus becoming the only foreign airline operating from there. The size of this terminal is slightly bigger than the North Terminal. Like the North Terminal, it is also has no aerobridge and passengers will be bussed from the terminal to the aircrafts.


HAJJ TERMINAL



This is the terminal most associated with JED and where most hajj and umrah charter flights are handled. The terminal also handles some scheduled flights, although passengers' formalities of these flights are done at the North Terminal. Given the seasonal nature of hajj, this terminal is not being used all year long. Some of us argued that the terminal is actually a tent and that everything else underneath it is just makeshift. Well, I haven't been there personally but after passing though it many times, I can confirmed that there are walls and compartments separating the colossal building. This terminal is equipped with aerobridges too, something that is so alien at the other terminals. The roof is high and open air, thus its semi enclosed nature. In my opinion, the architectural aspect of the Hajj Terminal is very outstanding, it's white tent-like roof is so striking even from afar thus making the other terminals in JED (which are used on a daily basis by the way) look very much destitute in state.





The Hajj Terminal has 2 wings, separated by the access road into this terminal, the North Terminal and the General Aviation Terminal. The access road is located behind the billboard.


GENERAL AVIATION TERMINAL



This is a newly constructed terminal at the same site where the old facility of the same function once stood. It is located between the Hajj Terminal and the North Terminal. There has been many buzz about the redevelopment of the entire JED airport, but as of today only this structure was constructed.


ROYAL TERMINAL





Of course, the crown jewel of the airport, the private terminal of HRH the King of Saudi Arabia. This terminal has aerobridges LOL.



The day shot is the landside/entrance view of the terminal.

[SliverKris]

GETTING FROM THE AIRPORT

The airport taxi system in JED, to cut thing short, is VERY bad. First, your arrival into the landside area will be greeted by taxi drivers and touts trying to lure you to hire their service. Most of them can not speak English. Both the official airport taxis and the touts are equally bad. In fact from my experience, the official airport taxis are worse than your normal baddie touts.

IF you want to use the official airport taxi, go outside of the terminal building and get the taxi which is in front of the queue. You have the choice of asking the taxi to use the meter but the majority of them will decline to do so. You will then be dragged into bargaining the fares with them and I am so sure they will ask something like SAR 150, which is ridiculous. I think the lowest they will agree is SAR 100, which is still ridiculous. If you have no other choice, just agree and consider yourself as being ripped off.

IF you want to use the touts, who are using their personal vehicles, you have to bargain the fares first. From my experience, 100% of time, the fares are much lower, something in the range of SAR 70 or so. However, this option comes with a safety concern. You may end up being robbed, murdered or raped. If you have no other choice, choose a tout who can speak good English (the majority of them are Indian or Pakistani who usually clad in normal western style t-shirt and pants, not in the traditional Arabian thobe or the Pakistani kurta).

The best and safest option is to arrange for ground transportation with your hotel. It may cost more than the official taxis (something in the range of SAR 250 one way), but you will get a big hotel limo, a driver who will wait for you while holding your name placard at the arrival area at the airport and you will save on the anxiety of being cheated, ripped off, robbed, murdered and raped.

As for me, I'll choose the touts hands down at every opportunity. I once got a tout which only charge SAR 20 for a journey which will cost SAR 150 should I have taken the official airport taxis.


GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

From downtown Jeddah, it is nearer to reach the South Terminal than the North Terminal. Taxis even those that refuse to use the meter will charge a maximum of SAR 50 for a journey to the South Terminal and SAR 70 to the North Terminal. If you happen to get yourself a non English speaker taxi driver, just told them to go to 'MA-TAR (airport) AJ-NA-BEE-YAH (international)' if you are heading to the North Terminal. If you are going to the South Terminal just chant 'MA-TAR (airport) SAUDI-YAH (Saudis)'.


GENERAL INFO

- It is actually much easier getting to the airport than from the airport. The airport's arrival area is full of traps and you won't be able to escape. The normal taxis (that charge SAR 70 or so per journey) are not allowed to take passengers at the airport.
- Personally I will not ask the taxis to use the meter. In 9/10 incidents, using the meter will resulting in you having to pay so much more than you should have to.
- Taxi drivers are notorious in overcharging passengers, especially those who can not speak Arabic and dress well. I have indulged in a conversation with a taxi driver who admitted that should I am not as nice as I was when talking to him then, he would charge an extra SAR 10 to me just because from my dressing he thought I have a good job with good salary.
- It is very common for taxi drivers to ask about your job and how much you earn on top of what is your religion and stuff. Just reply to this 'sensitive' questions calmly and politely. You have all the power in your hand to lie or pretend that you do not understand the questions.
- Knowing a little Arabic will help tremendously.

[SliverKris]

IMMIGRATION MATTERS

For arriving passengers, kindly be informed that Saudi immigration in JED is EXTREMELY slow. Make sure you are the first to disembark the aircraft and the first to get into the first bus that will be arriving the first at the terminal to cut short your waiting time to clear immigration. Immigration process will take significantly longer (up to 5 - 10 minutes) per person for a passenger who is arriving in JED for the first time for taking on an employment. The immigration officer has to take a biometric print of this individual for all 10 fingers of his/hers along with his/her picture as well, on top of several working papers that need to be filled in and signed at the counter. And there are a lot of this type of passenger on your flight.

Do not exceed your stay as stated in your visa at any time whenever in Saudi Arabia. Exceeding a day even how unintentional and accidental it is in nature, will result in a fixed fine of SAR 10,000.


CUSTOM MATTERS

Saudi Custom Officers are very determined in searching for prohibited items from passengers (especially arriving passengers). Amongst the most sought after prohibited items in JED are:
- Pornographic materials (kindly be informed that all external hard disc drive and selected passengers with laptop will have to undergo an extremely thorough screening at a separate room. This is done so consistently to every arriving flights].
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Magazine/book with pictures of uncovered woman/women.
- Food items that contain alcoholic ingredients (especially some certain brands of foreign chocolate).
- Boardgames which considered having an element of gambling (such as Monopoly) and anything that comes with dices.

Passengers found bringing these prohibited items into Saudi Arabia will get his/her passport confiscated, the mentioned items confiscated and a fine of a minimum of SAR 10,000, depending on the degree of the prohibitiveness of the confiscated items.


GENERAL RULE

DO NOT take custom and immigration matters into Saudi Arabia lightly. I speak from the 'been there, done that' point of view.

[SilverChris]

Great, thanks for this airport guide

When I arrived there a few months back, the customs officer really ransacked my bags, and confiscated a bag of..... peanuts . No idea why.

[SliverKris]

Actually for food stuff that was confiscated (including those that allegedly contain alcoholic ingredients), they were being tapau-ed and divided among the Custom Officers themselves at the end of the day. I witnessed it right in front of my nose on a few occasions.

So I guess in the case of your peanut, maybe they haven't seen that brand before and were curious on how does it tastes LOL.

[SilverChris]

Actually for food stuff that was confiscated (including those that allegedly contain alcoholic ingredients), they were being tapau-ed and divided among the Custom Officers themselves at the end of the day. I witnessed it right in front of my nose on a few occasions.

So I guess in the case of your peanut, maybe they haven't seen that brand before and were curious on how does it tastes LOL.

I figured.. They'd probably check more bags around the time the SQ flight arrives

[MAN Flyer]

JED has 2 passenger terminals and 3 special purpose terminals, as follows:


NORTH TERMINAL



The North Terminal handles all foreign airlines in JED, including SQ, MH, GA, CX, EK, QR and the likes (EXCEPT AF). It is very small, only 1 storey, no aerobridge. Very spartan, which is quite shocking considering how rich a country Saudi Arabia is.

JED's international terminal. **shudders**

I haven't been there for a few years now but am staggered that they haven't done anything to improve that place.

[SliverKris]

Yes, except for a minor interior reconstruction.



If you noticed the whitish line at the arches, it used to be a glass wall separating the area.

[MAN Flyer]

If you noticed the whitish line at the arches, it used to be a glass wall separating the area.

Is that all they have done ?. So there are no new lounges or even refurbs of the existing ones ?.