Prince Abdul Mohsin Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Yanbu received its first international flight from Cairo Thursday. The newly expanded airport, which was inaugurated by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, earlier this year, operates one flight a day between Cairo and Yanbu, which can be increased to four flights a day if the need arises, said Khaled Al-Khaibari, spokesman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The new international flight will help encourage more airlines to operate from Yanbu, he said. Saudi airports are trying to open more business opportunities to international airlines as they try to break free from the need to receive government financial support and be self-funding, he said. The Yanbu airport has been upgraded to enable it to operate international flights with newly expanded arrival and departure lounges. The airport features air bridges that link passenger lounges directly with aircraft, a first for regional airports in the Kingdom. With passenger terminal areas of 8,500 sq. meters that can take up to 500 passengers an hour, the airport features new control towers, cargo facilities and security and safety systems. The runways, spread over an area of 20,000 sq. meters, are able to take jumbo-size aircraft such as Boeing 747s and Airbus 777s. The contract for the airport expansion project was signed with a national company in June 2006 at a cost of SR188 million.
