KSA Business: Saudi unveils masterplan for mega airport; eyes 185m passengers – Gulf Digital News

KSA Business: Saudi unveils masterplan for mega airport; eyes 185m passengers – Gulf Digital News

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), Chairman of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund), today (November 28) unveiled the masterplan for King Salman International Airport, a mega development featuring a host of major facilities.

It is expected to be one of the world’s largest airports covering an area of approximately 57 sq km, allowing for six parallel runways and including the existing terminals named after King Khalid.

It will also include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets, and other logistics real estate, said PIF in its statement.

Once operational, the airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million travellers by 2030 and 185 million travellers, with the capacity to process 3.5 million tons of cargo, by 2050, it added.

The announcement comes as part of PIF’s strategy which focuses on unlocking the capabilities of promising sectors to enhance Saudi Arabia’s efforts in diversifying the economy, and it is in line with the National Transport Strategy and the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.

The new airport is expected to contribute SR27 billion ($7.2 billion) annually to non-oil GDP and