Qaisumah–Hafar Al-Batin International Airport
Qaisumah–Hafar Al-Batin International Airport مطار القيصومة بحفر الباطن الدولي | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | General Authority of Civil Aviation | ||||||||||
| Operator | Dammam Airports Company | ||||||||||
| Serves | Hafar Al-Batin and Khafji Governorates | ||||||||||
| Location | Qaisumah, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1962 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,174 ft / 358 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°20′06.8″N 046°07′29.8″E / 28.335222°N 46.124944°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
OEPA Location of airport in Saudi Arabia | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Sources:[1] | |||||||||||
Qaisumah–Hafar Al-Batin International Airport (IATA: AQI, ICAO: OEPA) is an airport located in Qaisumah, a markaz in Hafar Al-Batin Governorate in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The airport is about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) southeast of the center of Hafar Al-Batin and serves both it and the neighboring Khafji Governorate.
History
The airport opened in 1962 as a simple runway used by Dakota aircraft to transport Saudi Aramco employees between northern stations. It later developed into a facility with a 3,000-metre runway capable of handling Boeing 737 aircraft, along with a passenger terminal, a sewage system, a water treatment plant, and a standby power plant, covering a total area of 11 million square metres.[1]
An expansion and development project was completed in 2022 to increase the airport’s capacity to more than 700,000 passengers annually. The project established a shared arrivals hall for both international and domestic flights and expanded the departure hall area by 238 percent.[2]
On 28 February 2026, following the closure of Kuwaiti airspace and Kuwait International Airport during the Iran War, Kuwaiti airlines such as Jazeera Airways temporarily transferred their flights to the airport, which is located about 2.5 hours by road from Kuwait City.[3][4]
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevation of 1,174 feet (358 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,000 by 45 metres (9,843 ft × 148 ft).
Airlines and destinations
Airlines offering scheduled passenger service:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| flydubai | Dubai–International[5] |
| Nesma Airlines | Hail |
| Saudia | Jeddah,[6] Riyadh[7] |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Qaisumah Domestic Airport". General Authority of Civil Aviation. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
- ^ "افتتاح مطار القيصومة بحفر الباطن غدًا.. يستوعب 700 ألف مسافر سنويًّا". صحيفة عاجل (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "Kuwait closes airspace; Kuwait Airways suspends flights in and out of international airport". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ "The Latest on Middle East Flight Disruptions and Airspace Closures—Here's What Travelers Need to Know". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ "flydubai adds four destinations in Saudi Arabia". flydubai Newsroom. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ "Jeddah, Saudi Arabia JED". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 597–600. August 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
- ^ "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia RUH". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1091–1094. August 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.