Saudi Arabia's airport modernisation plans

A proposed hanger for Jeddah

With Saudi Arabia's airports receiving 30 million passengers annually, those numbers expected to double over the next decade, and air traffic in the Middle East the fastest growing in the world, it is not surprising to learn that the Kingdom is planning to spend more than $4.5 billion (SR17 billion) in modernising their two airports.

According to Alaa Samman, director of business development at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Saudi Arabia wants to launch a series of projects, costing at least $14.6 billion (SR55 billion) in a bid to update the country's airports over the next 20 years.

Project lift-off

The Kingdom isn't wasting any time with their plans; GACA has stated they want to build a new airport in the holy Muslim city of Medina and a commercial center near Jeddah airport in this year alone.

Medina's new airport is estimated to have cost between $1-2 billion (SR7-8 billion) and will increase traffic to the holy city from three million to eight million passengers a year.

Meanwhile in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have long planned an 'airport city', complete with hotels, office buildings, housing units, malls and even a flight academy.

Jeddah airport, which is a gateway for millions of Muslim pilgrims to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, receives 18 million passengers a year and expects to see an increase of up to 30 million by 2013.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Alaa Samman said, "We have offered two large pieces of land, one is one square kilometre and the other is 1.4 square kilometres, to Saudi and foreign investors for the development of the airport city." He added that development would cost around SR10 billion ($2.6 billion).

The capital Riyadh is also going to get a 'airport city', with Dammam in the the eastern province, the source of most of Saudi oil wealth, will follow later.

Last year, Engineer Abdullah Noor Rahimi, GACA president said regarding Saudi Arabia' airport cities, "Each airport will be a separate city where people can live, shop, study, and attend international conferences, in addition to enjoying many other services. Accessibility is vital for these cities, and the size of the Kingdom means that surface transport is not a viable option for business travelers seeking to invest in new cities. Therefore, we are upgrading or contracting for the establishment of airports which will serve each of the economic cities."

Saudi Arabia has a total of 27 airports.

Relevant articles:

Airport cities taking flight in ME | Middle Eastern air traffic - fastest growing in the world? | Al Maktoum Airport

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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