Kuwait International Airport

KWI OKKK  Kuwait City, KW

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KWI at a glance

  • What it is: Kuwait International Airport is a regional airport serving Kuwait City, KW.
  • Codes: KWI on your ticket, OKKK on the radar.
  • Size: 3 runways at 206 ft above sea level.
  • Local time zone: Asia/Kuwait (UTC+3), so every time shown for KWI is local rather than UTC.
3
Runways
206 ft
Field elevation

About Kuwait International Airport

Kuwait International Airport lies in the temperate mid-latitudes at 29.22° N, 47.97° E, on Asia/Kuwait time (UTC+3).

Kuwait International Airport has 3 runways. The longest, 16/34, measures 15,026 ft by 197 ft, which puts the field in the full-length intercontinental category: a fully loaded Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 can depart for the far side of the world. Surfaces vary across the field (asphalt, concrete). All 3 are lit for night operations.

Runway 16/34 is aligned roughly south-east/north-west, which is the clearest hint you get about the prevailing wind here: runways are built to face the wind that blows most often, because aircraft take off and land into it. Every runway here shares that south-east/north-west alignment, so a strong crosswind means a crosswind landing rather than a switch to another strip.

The runways are not interchangeable. 15R/33L is 11,155 ft against 16/34's 15,026 ft, a difference of 3,871 ft, so the shorter one generally takes regional traffic while the longer handles anything heavy.

Runways at KWI

RunwayLengthWidthSurfaceLighting
16/34 15,026 ft (4,580 m) 197 ft Asphalt Lit
15L/33R 11,483 ft (3,500 m) 148 ft Asphalt Lit
15R/33L 11,155 ft (3,400 m) 148 ft Concrete Lit

Runway numbers are the magnetic heading rounded to ten degrees, which is why they change when the magnetic field drifts - runway numbers explained.

Airports near KWI

Great-circle distance from Kuwait International Airport, closest first.

AirportCodeDistanceDirectionCity
Bahrain BAH 421 km south-east Manama
King Khalid RUH 491 km south Riyadh
Isfahan Shahid Beheshti IFN 542 km north-east Isfahan
Doha DIA 566 km south-east Doha
Hamad DOH 568 km south-east Doha
IATA / ICAO
KWI / OKKK
Location
Kuwait City, KW 29.224, 47.970
Time zone
Asia/Kuwait
Opened

Nearby and related airports

Geographically close airports and useful alternatives in KW.

More airports and guides connected to KWI

How a field like this runs day to day is covered in how airports work. The codes KWI and OKKK are explained in airport codes decoded.

Data sources and review

Reviewed 2026-07-29 by Flight-Tracker.net Editorial Team

This profile is generated from the airport's published coordinates, elevation and runway records. It does not claim live terminal or passenger totals.

Read our airport data sourcing and review process, or inspect the machine-readable reference dataset.

Frequently asked questions about KWI

What is the airport code for Kuwait International Airport?

Kuwait International Airport uses the IATA code KWI on tickets and baggage tags, and the ICAO code OKKK in flight plans and on radar. The leading “O” in OKKK is the region marker: ICAO codes are grouped geographically, which is why airports near each other usually share their first letter or two while their IATA codes look unrelated.

How many runways does KWI have?

Kuwait International Airport operates 3 runways. The field sits at 206 ft above sea level.

What time zone is KWI in?

Kuwait International Airport operates on Asia/Kuwait local time. Scheduled departure and arrival times for this airport are always published in local time, not UTC.

Can I track flights at KWI live?

Yes. The map on this page shows every aircraft broadcasting its position within about 55 km of Kuwait International Airport. The boards split them into departures, arrivals and traffic passing overhead, all timed in Asia/Kuwait.