Saudi to launch new SAR2.5bn airport project in Jazan

A new SAR2.5bn ($66.6m) airport project is set to be launched in the Saudi city of Jazan on Monday, the official Saudi press Agency (SPA) reported.

The King Abdullah airport project, which will be implemented at a site located 30km north of the centre of Jazan city, is located on a total area of 57,500 square metres.

The project consists of building the VIP lounge and the main travel hall with a capacity of 3.6 million passengers annually, the report said, quoting the chairman of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), Abdul Hakim bin Mohammed Al Tamimi.

The project will be implemented within three and a half years and is slated to be “one of the most important developmental projects and cultural landmarks” in the Jazan region, the report stated.

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Saudi Arabia’s aviation market is seeing strong growth on the back of the kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 programme, which aims to diversify the economy.

The country’s airports recorded 8 per cent passenger growth in 2017, to reach 91.8 million, with numbers anticipated to hit 100 million in 2018, according to GACA.

The Saudi government has also approved an expansion plan for the country’s airports, which will see old airports renovated and new ones constructed.

There are 26 airports in Saudi Arabia with commercial services, with Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Madinah handling more than five million passengers each in 2017.

The planned expansion includes the redevelopment of the airports in Abha, Al Ahsa, Al Qassim, Arar, Hail and Jazan, as well as new terminals at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. There are also plans to develop new airports in Al-Qunfudah, Farasan Island and Taif, Riyadh North and Riyadh South.

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