Kandara Airport ( IATA : XZF ICAO : OEJD ) was the first airport of Saudi Arabia located within Jeddah . It was the original airport serving the cities Jeddah and Mecca in the kingdom before the construction of King Abdulaziz International Airport . It also operated the 8 wing of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) and its Lockheed C-130 Hercules . The airport handled Haji traffic alongside regular scheduled flights, and Air France had a facility at Kandara Airport for its international operations.
10-899: In 1946, Saudia was set up as an agency of the Ministry of Defense in Kandara Airport. In 1952, Kandara Airport was official inaugurated and opened under the patronage of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz . In 1958, the airport served as the headquarters for the Royal Saudi Air Force . American McDonnell F-101 Voodoo Fighter jets and the Martin B-57C Canberra operated at the airport alongside the Douglas C-54 Skymaster and Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft for military cargo operations. During
20-687: Is Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud , who was appointed on 27 September 2022. The Ministry includes the five service branches of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces: The Royal Saudi Land Force , The Royal Saudi Air Force , The Royal Saudi Naval Force , The Royal Saudi Air Defense Force and the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force . In 2017, Saudi Arabia ranked third in the world with military spending and
30-488: The 1970s, squadrons No. 4 Squadron RSAF , No. 16 Squadron RSAF , and No. 20 under the 8 Wing were based at Kandara Airport. In 1971, Kandara Airport was fitted with a new runway parallel to the pre-existing 15/33 runway. Al-Kandara, where the airport was located, was considered the capital of Jeddah. It was a popular place to live, because of its proximity to the airport and a seaport. It also has various facilities like hospitals, administrations and accomodations. The name
40-408: The airport's ability to expand infrastructure. Due to Kandara Airport's deficient capacity, it experienced heavy congestion during Haji seasons peaking 600 aircraft movements per day. In May 1981, the completion of King Abdulaziz International Airport led to the closure of Kandara Airport. The site of the former airport was later redeveloped for housing. Located just outside of Kandara Airport, there
50-631: The appointment of Sultan bin Abdulaziz as Minister of Defense in 1963, the powerful ministry has only changed hands thrice, and has been held by descendants of the Al Sudairi clan. The ministry has led to bright careers for its holders. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz went on to become Second Deputy Prime Minister in 1982 and rose to the rank of Crown Prince in 2005. He served as Crown Prince until his death in 2011. His successor, Riyadh Governor Salman bin Abdulaziz became Second Deputy Prime Minister in 2011 and became Crown Prince in 2012. In 2015, Salman became
60-520: The seventh King of Saudi Arabia, following King Abdullah's death. Mohammed bin Salman's appointment as Minister of Defense, in January 2015, marked the first time in over half a century that a grandson of Saudi Arabia's founder, Abdulaziz, had served in the position. In April 2015, Mohammed bin Salman became Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister. In 2017, Mohammed bin Salman was elevated to
70-552: Was an aircraft boneyard . Aircraft such as the Douglas A-26 Invader , North American T-28 Trojan , Douglas C-54 Skymaster and the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor have been decommissioned and dumped here. Before the 1960s, the airfield originally had two asphalt runways 15/33 10,000 feet long and 150 feet wide (1048 and 46 m) E/W 6,000 feet long and 150 feet wide (1828 and 46 m). In 1971, a second runway
80-698: Was by far the largest military spender in the Middle East . With an allocated budget of $ 69.4 billion representing 10% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), Saudi Arabia replaced Russia, which ranked fourth in military spending, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) . SIPRI also stated that Saudi Arabia is the most well-armed country in the Persian Gulf region in terms of its inventory of modern equipment. Since
90-498: Was constructed alongside runway 15/33. Ministry of Defense (Saudi Arabia) The Ministry of Defense ( MoD ; Arabic : وزارة الدفاع ) is a Ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for the protection of national security, interests and sovereignty of the country from external threats as well as the working with all ministries of the state to achieve national security and stability. The current minister of defense
100-526: Was derived from the neighbourhood of Al-Kandara. Experts claim that it was named after Sheikh Muhammad Bin Omrah Al-Kenaidri, the tribal chief of Al-Kandarah tribe who lived in the area during the 1940s. Other claims included that the word comes from the Turkish word for shoes or bloodbath. Kandara Airport was located in the neighborhood of Kandara, close to the city center. This proximity limited
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