At the airport · Terminal map

Finding your way through the terminals

Ras Al Khaimah handles departures and arrivals in two separate terminal buildings that share one forecourt. The walk from the kerb to the aircraft is short, there is no internal train and no landside transfer between piers — but the two buildings are not interchangeable, so it is worth knowing which door you need.

Services and facilities Getting to the airport

Indicative terminal layout

Landside — anyone may enter
Airside — boarding pass required
Control point

Schematic and not to scale. It shows the order you pass through things, not distances or exact positions. The airport does not publish a measured floor plan; when one is issued this diagram will be replaced by it.

At the airport

Departing, in order

One thing surprises people here: passport control comes before security screening, not after it. Plan the liquids in your hand luggage around that.

Forecourt and kerb

Taxis, the free airport bus and both car parks feed the same forecourt. Departures and Arrivals are separate buildings, so read the sign above the doors before you walk in with your bags.

Check-in

Counters sit landside in the Departure Terminal. Air Arabia, the largest operator here, opens its counters around three hours before departure and closes them an hour before — check the cut-off with your own airline, as it varies.

Tax free validation

Claiming VAT back on what you bought in the UAE? The Planet counters are opposite the check-in desks. Go there before you hand over your bags, while the goods are still with you.

Passport control

Immigration comes next. Customs, Immigration and Special Branch Police are on the field around the clock, so there is no seasonal closure or night gap to plan around.

Security screening

At Ras Al Khaimah screening comes after passport control, not before it. Liquids, gels and aerosols out of your hand luggage; laptops, phones, tablets, keys and coins in a separate tray; coats, belts and shoes off.

Departure lounge

Airside you have RAK Duty Free, the Terminal Cafe, a prayer room and a designated smoking room. Free Wi-Fi covers the building.

Boarding gates

Gates are a short walk from the lounge and aircraft are boarded from the apron. The airport does not publish a gate numbering plan, so take your gate from the boarding pass and the flight information screens.

At the airport

Arriving, in order

The whole arrivals sequence runs on the ground floor of the Arrival Terminal, in a straight line from the aircraft to the road.

Off the aircraft

Aircraft park on the apron and passengers walk or are bussed the short distance across to the Arrival Terminal. Everything from here happens on the ground floor.

Passport control

Immigration is the first control on arrival. Have your passport and, if you need one, your visa or entry permit ready before you reach the desk.

Baggage reclaim

The reclaim hall is directly after immigration. If a bag does not appear, report it before you leave the hall — the airline handles the claim, and the airport's Duty Officer keeps the Lost and Found store.

Customs

Customs officers are on duty around the clock. Declare anything over the UAE allowances, including cash or its equivalent above AED 60,000. There is a duty free shop in the Arrival Terminal as well.

Arrivals hall

Meeting point, car rental desks and the way out to the taxi rank. Ras Al Khaimah city centre is 18 km away, about twenty minutes on Digdaga Road.

At the airport

Where things sit

A single-line answer for the questions the information desk is asked most often.

Facility	Building	Notes
Check-in counters	Departure Terminal	Landside, before passport control
Planet Tax Free validation	Departure Terminal	Opposite the check-in counters
Passport control, departing	Departure Terminal	After check-in
Security screening	Departure Terminal	After passport control
RAK Duty Free	Both terminals	Open around the clock
Terminal Cafe	Departure Terminal	Open 24 hours
Business Lounge	Departure Terminal	30 seats, premium-cabin passengers
Prayer rooms	Both terminals	Plus a mosque by the departure car park
Smoking rooms	Both terminals	Smoking is not permitted anywhere else indoors
Baggage reclaim	Arrival Terminal	Ground floor, after immigration
Customs hall	Arrival Terminal	After baggage reclaim
Car rental desks	Arrival Terminal	In the arrivals hall
Lost and Found	Departure Terminal	Through the Duty Officer
VIP Terminal	Separate building	By prior arrangement only

The buildings that are not for scheduled passengers

A separate VIP terminal stands apart from the two passenger buildings, alongside the cargo terminal — RAK Freight Centre — and the maintenance and flight training facilities. Passengers using the VIP terminal are handled there, not in the main halls, and business jet crews report to the airport's own FBO office.

Lounges and VIP terminal Business aviation

Not published yet

We only publish what the airport has actually confirmed. The items below are genuinely not documented anywhere, and we would rather say so than guess.

Gate numbering. The airport has never published how many boarding gates it has or how they are numbered — follow your boarding pass and the screens.
An amenity-level map with pins for toilets, water points, charging sockets and baby-change rooms.
Level plans for either terminal, and step-free routes marked on them.
Measured walking times from the kerb to the furthest gate.

Ask at the information desk, or call the switchboard on +971 7 207 5200.