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Tour the New Kuwait Airways Terminal (T4)

Over the weekend I got a tour of the soon to open Kuwait Airways Terminal 4. I hadn’t seen that many photos of the terminal and so was really surprised at how beautiful it was. I took a ton of photos so I’ll take you on a quick tour of the airport starting from the entrance all the way into the plane, and then I’ll go the other way, from the plane all the way to the exit. Here are some interesting points first:

– The new terminal is located on the right just before arriving at the main airport. There are signs up now that point to terminal 4 and there is also a new exit that was constructed. Here is the location on [Google Maps]

– The new terminal is only for Kuwait Airways flights.

– In the photos, you’ll notice signs for E-Gates. Yes, it’s happening but I wasn’t able to get any information on it other than the fact they’re going to implement it. I was not given a timeline but it could be very soon which would explain the urgent move to new passports for Kuwaiti citizens and the voiding of old ones.

– The only area I wasn’t allowed to photograph was the business lounge. It’s located on the far right of the departures terminal and spans two floors. It has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the runway, and unlike the Kuwait Airways lounge in terminal 1, it didn’t look tacky.

– The security check area is going to be proper, similar to setups you see in large airports abroad and it will also have full body scanners.

– Terminal 4 will be managed by the South Korean Incheon International Airport. The Incheon airport holds the record of being ranked the Best Airport Worldwide for 11 consecutive years so it’s going to be in good hands.

– The boarding gate for US flights has an extra security check, the rest of the gates don’t.

– The plan is to eventually have US Border Control at the terminal similar to how it is in Abu Dhabi. This would be huge if it happens.

– All the waiting area seats throughout the terminal have both power ports and USB ports.

– The terminal is expected to start operating on July 25th, although I’ve also heard the date August 8th being thrown around. In both cases, the terminal will start operating with a limited number of flights with the first route being just Dubai. They will then continue to add other GCC flights before adding the rest of their destinations.

That’s some of the most important points I wanted to highlight. If you have any questions or things you’re curious about let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer them for you. To check out pictures of the terminal as well as the full tour from start to finish, click [Here]

36 replies on “Tour the New Kuwait Airways Terminal (T4)”

Thank you for all your informations in general but this one really lift up a big weight on my shoulder. I will be leaving for Paris on the 25th and I have also heard the rumor that Terminal 4 was starting maybe to be used on the 25th… And I was a bit scared to travel from there on the first morning hours on the 1st day of operation… 😜😜😜 So now I’m totally relieved.

I’m actually pissed off at the fact that I might not be able to fly using this terminal. I going back to the Uk by the end of August, it’s boring a 7 hour flight. I would have loved to have a decent relaxing period before being shoved into a metal flying hot dog for 7 hours with crappy entertainment.

Don’t get me wrong the seats are amazing, the TVs are huge but the content is all old and censored.

With the netflix app on your ipad or iphone you can download shows to watch later. Just download a few seasons of a show and watch them on the plane.

Tbh I did think about that just after I posted my comment. Kuwait Airways is definitely solid (atleast with economy class) I wish I had an iPad.

I love Kuwait Airways, it is becoming a great airline

Mark, do you feel there was enough seats around the terminals?

There was plenty of seating in the terminal but no idea if its enough or not since I don’t have any idea on how many Kuwait Airways flights there are at any given time. If all the gates are busy then there might not be enough seating for example.

I’m gonna bother you with a few questions here if you don’t mind.

Can you elaborate further on the management side? Is the terminal going to be staffed by Incheon? And for how long?

Whats the maximum designed capacity for the new terminal and what will the expected capacity be once all KU flights are operating?

Not staffed by Incheon, managed by them. I heard contract is for 5 years so expires around the same time as T2 opens up.

T4 can handle 4.5 million passengers annually

Great stuff. I am really happy for Kuwait. Finally, a world class facility.
Like they have separate lines for veiled ladies, separate lines for ladies with children and differently abled and senior citizens would be a godsend.

They’re close to each other in every airport on this planet. Self check-in kiosks are just for checking in and printing your boarding pass. You drop bags off at baggage drop. If you’re a group then everyone of you gets on their on self-check-in kiosk or you hand over all your documents to one person to check you in.

I should like to know if the airport lounges will come with self contained rooms for long haul transit passengers and whether it is true the Incheon staff will be up and about on Segways?

I don’t think this terminal has sleeping rooms. Regarding staff, it’s goingt o be managed by Lncheon not staffed by them. I doubt they’re gonna travel around on segways since the terminal isn’t that big.

Hi Mark, excellent photos 🙂

Do you know what the arrangements will be for passenger connecting between the existing terminal and the new Terminal 4?

I ask as I am due to connect from Emirates to Kuwait Airways (on the same ticket) twice during August.

Interesting, I didn’t think about that or would have asked but with the new T2 they’re planning on having a shuttle service, I’m guessing it would be the same here in T4, an airside shuttle service that connects you to the other terminal.

yes. actually what i learned was that this whole parking was meant to be the temporary long term parking until they turned the current one into a multistory lot. that didn’t happen though.

I’m hopeful that the duty-free area will include a bookshop and a variety of cafes & international brands. Any idea if there will be a proper arrivals information desk to guide people who are coming to Kuwait on a long layover or the tourists/visitors who arrive and need additional directions?

Do you think I will like it more than Munich or Changi airport?

Also will the business class lounge have freshly squeezed orange juice and if yes, will they do Valencia oranges or Neffertiti??

HI Mark,

The big missing or surprise element is for passengers embarking or disembarking using non-KA flights that have to be taken from/to the current main Airport to T4 making it harder. Hope they have something in plan for that also.

Tom

WOW.. The new terminal really looks nice in the pics. All bright new and shinny 🙂

Personally I cant wait to use it going forward. Seating areas with USB pod, new duty free shops , new paces to have coffee and a bite to eat , new lounges.. these are all well and nice but I only want to ask one thing and it is about the public loos most importantly loos with dedicated baby rooms and changing rooms. Do they have those and do they have them in sufficient numbers to accommodate the crowds at T4???

My questions are based on my recent trip with the family to Europe; As expected going from here was the usual nightmare we have all come to accept as a part of travelling from Kuwait. Long serpentine lines before immigration, sad bored immigration officers and the usual lot. One grows accustomed to this after they have lived in Kuwait for some time 🙂

Back to my questions… The current terminals answer to question one is a one old dilapidated toilet from the dark ages in the basement behind Starbucks and a couple of newer ones on the other side towards the new Jazeera Terminal opposite a smoking booth with long lines of people waiting to use them.

The answer to question two is a big fat zero, as in none, nada, zilch.I even asked the information desk right after the immigration check point on the off rare chance they might actually have one tucked in a corner some where.. Nope.. the answer I got was to use the available public toilets or use the ones at the Pearl Lounge.

FYI Kuwait .. U cant change diapers or tend to infants in a toilet; something to do with Health Safety and Hygiene in case you didn’t know and not everyone really wants to pay to use a lounge toilet even if they can afford to. Nor should they be forced to do so.

So our choices were either to change our child’s diaper on a changing mat on the floor or on a couple of chairs in the waiting area. We ended up going with the chairs.The floor looked like they were last cleaned in the last quarter the cleaners were paid a full salary.

In Europe it was totally different story what amazed me was that every airport we passed through be it the big international ones or the tiny domestic ones they all had lavs with separate dedicated baby rooms and a dedicated handicapped / disabled lav spread out all over the place. They had them before and after security checks, before the gates and even had them at every departure gate. The smaller local airports had fewer yes but the point is that they had them.

Does T4 have same??? or at least some where close to it??
Cause if it doesn’t then that would be a real shame since the basic necessities of a travelling family or families have not been taken into account or addressed.

Also people travelling with kids will have to learn add 30 to 40 minutes to their schedules to make sure they have enough time to wait in line to use the lav at one end of the terminal or to change their kids diapers on a changing mat on waiting chairs or on a BRAND NEW SHINY T4 floor before hightailing it to their respective departure gate

I checked out one bathroom when there and found it small with around 5 or 6 stalls and no urinals. but i was told there are multiple of bathrooms scattered around the airport so small but many.

Its nice that you found one Mark.. Hopefully there was clear signage indicating it not hidden behind an information screen like in the old terminal 😉

So 6 stalls and no urinals for the rest of us mankind who just want to squeeze the snake and run .. So again we have to wait in line for the guy who ate too much chili to exit a stall and inhale his aftermath.

You were told there were multiple loos scattered around the place how many would you say are there in the terminal? 10? lets be generous and reach out for straws here 15. so that’s 90 loos to serve roughly a 1000 on a good peak day. I wonder how that is gonna turn out.

Next question would that be a total number? For male and female? Because again that reduces the numbers of available loos dramatically when you split them up. And of course the million dollar question.. Did you see the ever so important baby room and handicapped persons loo Attached or nearby ? Because if you didn’t then again we are back to square one.

Maybe if you have a contact with those responsible for T4 you can ask them this tiny yet very significant question 😉

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