Fire Safety & Rescue installations at King Khalid International Airport (RUH)

Aviation fire and rescue covers ARFF crash tenders rated to ICAO CAT-9 / CAT-10, rapid intervention vehicles, high-reach extendable turrets, fluorine-free foam and discharge systems, hangar deluge, terminal sprinkler and smoke-management, and the PPE, breathing apparatus and training rigs used by airport fire teams. Airports must maintain a declared rescue and firefighting category that matches their largest routine aircraft — which for A380 and 777X operations means CAT-10. Procurement is driven by civil aviation authorities and airport ops, with strict response-time and agent-discharge compliance.

A sprawling 1980s-era masterplan set in desert pink sandstone, RUH was designed by HOK when Riyadh was still a secondary capital. Four decades later, the city has outgrown it. Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 now share the load as traffic hit 37.2 million in 2024, and new carrier Riyadh Air prepares to launch before the airport itself is eclipsed by King Salman International just across town.