Work on Saudi’s Taif International Airport to begin next year

Work will start on Saudi Arabia’s planned airport at Taif within the next three months, according to reports.

Saudi Press Agency cited Makkah emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal as saying Taif International Airport “will be no more a dream”.

“It will become a reality as work on the project will start in 68 days and the airport will be ready by the beginning of 2020,” he was quoted as saying.

The official said the country’s General Authority for Civil Aviation had also commenced a study for an airport at Qunfudah

Plans for an airport at Taif to service pilgrims travelling to and from Makkah were first announced in 2014 but progress has been limited since then.

Read: Saudi Arabia Plans New Pilgrimage Airport At Taif

Once completed the airport will be able to handle five million passengers a year, Prince Khaled said, outlining that it would be the first mega project to be implemented in Makkah province in line with the kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The airport is expected to cover 48 million square metres in a site north east of Taif city close to Souk Okaz.

It has been incorporated in a plan for New Taif City, which includes University City, Technlogy Oasis, Souk Okaz and residential and industrial areas.

“All these projects have passed their design phases and now started the phase of actual implementation,” Prince Khaled said.

The city will cover 1,250 square kilometres with a capacity for 750,000 residents.