Kuwait International Airport (KWI)

Terminals

• The airport currently operates from Terminals 4 and 5. Terminal 1 is closed after it was damaged in 2026, and flight schedules are reduced (UK Foreign Office travel advice, updated 27 Oct 2026). Check your flight with your airline before you travel.
• Kuwait Airways checks in at Terminal 4 (T4). T4 has its own website with flight boards, maps and lounge details.

Getting into Kuwait City

• Airport taxis charge fixed fares by destination zone: from 4 KD (Dajeej / Air Cargo) to 20 KD (Abdali, Salmi, Nuwaiseeb, Subiya). Kuwait City is 8 KD and Hawally is 7 KD.
• Use only the official airport taxis. Do not accept rides from unauthorised people inside or outside the terminal.
• Kuwait Public Transport Company buses run from the airport from 04:30 to 23:45 on lines 13, 99 and 501. Lines 13 and 501 cost 250 fils; line 99 costs 250 or 300 fils.
• Line 13 goes via Khaitan, Airport Road and Shuwaikh Residential to the Sheraton area. Line 99 serves Abbasiya, Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Farwaniya and Khaitan. Line 501 serves Farwaniya, Omariya, Rabiya and Riggae.

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Arriving in Kuwait

• Kuwait's visas are handled on the Ministry of Interior's official portal, kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw. The airport's visa page links there. Check on the portal whether your nationality can apply before you travel.
• Tourist visa applicants need a passport valid for at least six months. The entry permit is valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
• At passport control, have your passport, visa or e-visa copy, boarding pass and a return or onward ticket ready.

Lounges in Terminal 4

• T4 lists three lounges: Elite Lounge, Al Mubarakiya Lounge and Oasis Lounge.
• Al Mubarakiya Lounge is in the duty-free area near Gate B5. Oasis Lounge is on the second floor, opposite Gates D7–D8, for eligible Kuwait Airways passengers and Oasis Club members.

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Good to know

• At T4, Kuwait Airways accepts early check-in from 12 hours before departure, on all routes except New York (JFK).