The program forms a central component of Kuwait’s Vision 2035 national development strategy, which seeks to diversify the economy beyond oil and transform the country into a regional hub for trade, logistics and finance. 

Vision 2035 prioritizes major transportation investments—such as the airport expansion, port development and new road networks—to strengthen Kuwait’s position in global commerce.

“The third runway and the new control tower represent a qualitative leap in Kuwait’s air-transport system,” said Saad Al-Otaibi, directorate deputy director general, during an Oct. 14 televised statement reported by the state-run Kuwait News Agency. “They will greatly contribute to the safety and security of landing and take-off 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 sustaining service.

At its center is the new Terminal 2, a 700,000-sq-m building designed by Foster + Partners and built by Turkey’s Limak İnşaat under a design-build contract exceeding $4.3 billion. 

The terminal’s tri-wing concrete-shell roof spans more than 1.2 km and integrates passive cooling and daylight control systems that Limak says will reduce energy use by about 40%. 

Once complete, the facility will accommodate 25 million passengers annually, with expansion capacity to 50 million. Work on the structure is about 70% finished, with completion expected in 2026, according to the directorate/

Surrounding the terminal, airfield infrastructure is being reconfigured to link the new and existing operations areas. 

Netherlands-based NACO and Spain’s Ineco prepared the master plan and airfield geometry, setting layouts for new taxiways, service roads and drainage systems. 

Rehabilitation of the central runway and apron network, part of Phase II, will begin now that the third runway is operational, ensuring air traffic continues uninterrupted during construction, said the directorate.

The third phase, known as Bundle 3, includes the now-operational third runway and air traffic control tower—both commissioned on Oct. 30—along with reconstruction of the eastern runway and upgrades to the southern airfield infrastructure. 

The remaining works, including new taxiway lighting, drainage and pavement systems, are proceeding on a 14-month schedule set for completion by early 2027. 

The Kuwait aviation agency awarded the contract in 2017 to a joint venture of AVIC International Holding Corp. of China and Kuwait’s HOT Engineering & Construction Co. for about $489 million. Follow-on agreements for tower systems, meteorological equipment and design supervision increased the value to roughly $586 million.

In 2024, DGCA appointed Dar Al-Handasah (Shair & Partners) under a five-year agreement to supervise construction, covering drainage and lighting improvements, pavement rehabilitation and integration of advanced surface-movement and instrument-landing systems. 

The new tower replaces a smaller 1986 facility and sits on base-isolator foundations to mitigate seismic risk. Its radar suite provides 360° coverage across all three runways.

Vision 2035: Building a Regional Gateway

Kuwait’s airport modernization 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 airport expansion confirms Kuwait’s commitment to developing the civil-aviation sector in line with Vision 2035 and to transforming the country into a regional and global commercial center,” said Public Works Minister Noura Al-Mashaan.

The Ministry of Finance is funding the entire program through state revenue. When complete, 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 third runway at Kuwait's International Airport is part of efforts to keep key development projects on an upward trajectory, said Chief of Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority Sheikh Humoud Mubarak Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, in a statement on Oct. 27.