Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday announced the launch of the King Salman International Airport plan, in the capital, Riyadh, which aims to serve 120 million passengers by 2030.
The airport is expected to make the city of Riyadh a global destination for transport, trade and tourism, and to make it a bridge connecting the East and the West.
King Salman Airport will be one of the largest airports in the world, with a capacity to handle 120 million passengers by 2030.
The airport aims to reach 185 million passengers and pass up to 3.5 million tons of cargo by 2050, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The airport is seeking LEED platinum certification for environmentally friendly projects and will be powered by renewable energy resources.
The airport will be built on an area of approximately 57 square kilometres, and will include 6 runways, 12 square kilometers of support facilities, residential, entertainment and commercial assets.
The new airport project is expected to create 103,000 direct and indirect job opportunities to contribute to achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The airport will contribute about 27 billion riyals (more than $7 billion) annually to the Kingdom’s non-oil gross domestic product.
The airport is part of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s strategy, which focuses on promising sectors, real estate projects and local infrastructure development.
The project is also in line with the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics and the National Initiative for Global Supply Chains, and supports the Kingdom’s efforts to diversify the economy.
