Transfer from Turkish to Air India in Riyadh (King Khalid) Airport

Transfer from Turkish to Air India in Riyadh (King Khalid) Airport - Aircraft flying over runway near airport building

Hello Riyadh travellers,

I'm an Indian Passport holder with a valid US visa. I am flying J and have a transfer from TK146 to AI922 in Riyadh airport. The layover time is 3.5 hrs. Both flights from T1 terminal.

  1. Am I allowed to transit without any visa for this layover?

  2. Will my baggage transfer be taken care by the airlines (both Star Alliance) at Riyadh airport? I called Air India and they were obviously not very helpful. They were like you should ask at check-in counter if they will transfer the baggage.



Best Answer

Update:

Before boarding Turkish flight to Riyadh:

  • Check-in agents tagged my bags to BOM as the Air India system is not allowing them to do all the way to Hyderabad.
  • Check-in agents were not able to give my RUH to BOM to HYD boarding pass and asked me to contact arrivals desk in RUH.
  • Air India customer service on phone told me to figure out things about boarding pass myself when I arrive in RUH. After I told, I am in Business class, he put me on wait and gave some documented information on  Air India counter (like room number 16xx - WTF?) in RUH but did not give specifics of how I can meet them. Very useless customer service. It sucks. Thats the reason travelers don't want to fly Air India. Basically they are like find yourself when you are at the airport.
  • Gate agent asked for Visa and made fuss for a while until he checked the system.

After landing in Riyadh:

There were no board signs about transfers in Riyadh KKIA Airport. Fortunately I found a helpful agent wearing SGS (Saudi Ground Services) tag ID card. He checked my documents, asked me to wait and got a passenger transit form. Filled some details in it and asked me to sign. Made me go through quick security scan in the terminal. Again asked me to wait - took my passport, ticket. Came back after 35 mins with my Air India boarding pass. He also changed my baggage tags from Turkish to Air India checked all the way to Hyderabad. Since I was in business class, I was told to use the Plaza Premium lounge (which is boring by the way. I used Wellcome lounge with my PriorityPass).

While the process went with no hiccups, it was not pleasant as I was nervous all the time in RUH airport because of no signs of transit boards.




Pictures about "Transfer from Turkish to Air India in Riyadh (King Khalid) Airport"

Transfer from Turkish to Air India in Riyadh (King Khalid) Airport - From above of small biplane landing on runway with cracks and yellow markings on summer sunny day
Transfer from Turkish to Air India in Riyadh (King Khalid) Airport - Gray Airliner
Transfer from Turkish to Air India in Riyadh (King Khalid) Airport - White United Airlines Plane



How many terminals are there in King Khalid airport?

King Khalid International Airport (IATA: RUH, ICAO: OERK) The airport comprises four commercial terminals.

Is Turkish Airlines allowed in Saudi Arabia?

Turkish Airlines flies to seven different destinations in Saudi Arabia: Al-Qassim, Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh, Ta'if and Yanbu.

Which country is King Khalid airport?

King Khalid International AirportKing Khalid International Airport \u0645\u0637\u0627\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0644\u0643 \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0648\u0644\u064a Mat\u0101r al-Malik Kh\u0101lid al-DuwaliyyServesRiyadhLocationRiyadh, Saudi ArabiaOpenedNovember 16, 1983Hub forSaudia Flynas16 more rows

Are there direct flights from Riyadh to Istanbul?

Turkish Airlines offers three direct flights each day from Riyadh to Istanbul. The point of departure for the flights in this route is King Khalid International Airport (RUH); and the point of arrival may either be Istanbul Airport (IST) or Istanbul Sabiha G\xf6k\xe7en Airport (SAW).



KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RIYADH 🤫 GOOD BYE SAUDI ARABIA 😁




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Images: Vincent Albos, Tim Gouw, Ahmed Muntasir, Pascal Renet