Kuwait Airport has three terminals in active use and a fourth terminal is under construction. The terminals are divided according to the airlines serving them.
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Terminal 1
Also referred to as "Terminal M" by some old information, this is the original airport building that currently handles most of the foreign airlines.
Terminal 1 is directly connected to a large shopping mall.
- Aegean Airlines, Air Arabia, Air Cairo, Air India, AnadoluJet, Azerbaijan Airlines, Biman Bangladesh, British Airways, Cham Wings Airlines, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, flyadeal, Flydubai, Fly Egypt, Fly Nas, Gulf Air, IndiGo, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Nile Air, Oman Air, Pakistan International, Pegasus Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Salam Air, Saudia, SriLankan, Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air
Although this is an older terminal, it has been completely renovated and is very well laid out. The distance to the furthest departure gates is about 8 minutes on foot.
Terminal 2
The newest terminal 2 will open at the end of 2025 and will double the airport's total capacity.
It is planned that Terminal 2 will handle all Kuwait Airways and its partner airlines' flights.
Terminal 3
The smallest terminal, Terminal 3 handles only government and private flights. Terminal 3 is not accessible to general passengers.
Terminal 4
Opened in 2018, this modern terminal is very spacious and above all well-organised.
The building has a clean rectangular shape and is therefore extremely easy to navigate both in the public area and after passing through security.
Terminal 4 exclusively handles Kuwait National Airlines flights:
- Kuwait Airways
Terminal 5
The small Terminal 5 is adjacent to Terminal 1 and is used for check-in in the public area only.
After passing through security, you will find yourself in the departure gate area of Terminal 1, to which it is connected by a covered corridor, and thus both a transit and public area.
Terminal 5 handles Kuwait's low-cost airline flights.
- Jazeera Airways
Airport map
Official airport maps can be found at kuwaitairport.gov.kw/terminal-maps, but they are not updated very often.
Moving between terminals
There is no free shuttle bus service between the terminals.
However, you can use the free shuttle bus that runs on the tarmac between terminals 1 and 4 at a frequency of about 20 minutes, see below for details.
Transfer between flights
Transfer procedures vary depending on whether you have purchased both connecting flights as part of one booking or have planned your transfer on your own by purchasing two separate tickets.
Guaranteed transfer
In 99% of cases, you will transfer within Kuwait Airways or Jazeera Airways flights, so you will stay in one terminal without having to transfer to another.
Transferring is very easy as both terminals 4 (Kuwait Airways) and 5 (Jazeera Airways) are small, modern and uncluttered.
There is no passport control and therefore no visa is required for the transfer.
You have to go through transit security and the real transfer time is between 45 and 65 minutes.
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A direct transfer through the transit zone is also possible between terminals.
A free transit bus runs between terminals 1 and 4. Any transport between the other terminals is handled by taxis only.
The actual transfer
With the rise of low-cost airlines (Wizz Air, Flydubai, Flyadeal or Jazeera Airways), self-connecting flights often appear in comparison sites such as Skyscanner.
This transfer is not guaranteed and if you miss the connecting flight, you have to buy a new ticket.
In these cases you also always have to go through immigration control and therefore pay for a visa.
Discounted transit visas are not issued on arrival.