It includes a "Royal Terminal" designated for use by government officials, state guests, and the Saudi royal family. The airport has one of the world's tallest air traffic control towers, and two parallel runways, each 4, metres 13, ft in length. It is the second largest airport by land area in the world, after King Fahd International Airport. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Riyadh Airports Company. The Royal Mosque was designed with a significant programme of integral art; the stained glass, by British architectural artist Brian Clarke , was a landmark work in the history of the medium, considered to be the largest and technically most advanced stained glass project of the modern period.
Until then, what is now Riyadh Air Base served commercial flights to and from Riyadh. Increased international and local air transport requirements for Riyadh made the change necessary. Riyadh Air will use the airport as a hub.
There are five main passenger terminals at the airport, four of them were built when the airport started operation in , and Terminal 5 was opened in Terminal 1 to 4 were built when the airport was opened in November They are connected to each other by means of three linking buildings, each metres ft 2 in long. Each terminal is triangular in plan, with a base area of 47, square metres , sq ft.
The complex includes a modern VIPs terminal plus restaurants, cafeterias, airlines offices, government departments, hotels and rent-a-car companies counters, banks, first aid clinics and commercial shops. Terminal 5 is a , square metres 1,, sq ft rectangular building which can serve 16 narrow-body or 8 wide-body aircraft. Operated by Irish airport operator Dublin Airport Authority, it is Saudi's first privately run airport terminal and can handle 12 million passengers per year.
The Royal Pavilion has open spaces, garden areas, and fountains. A ceremonial hall The design and geometry of the building are similar to those of the other terminals architecturally and in the aesthetic respect. Arriving guests can use either air bridges or escalators to enter the building from the aircraft parking area.
