MADINAH — The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) announced the test run of the new Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah will take place in April, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The general authority stated in a press release there are only a few adjustment and maintenance operations remaining. The authority also plans to organize an inauguration after the test run is successfully completed. The new airport's area is estimated at 4 million sq. meters. Once officially opened, the airport will have a capacity to handle 8 million travelers a year. The test run will ensure the airport and its facilities are up to international standards. The airport will have a total area of 153,000 sq. meters for arrival and departure waiting halls. It will also have 16 departure gates connected by 32 bridges. The press release also stated the airport will have 64 counters to process boarding tickets and 24 self -service counters. During the Haj season, 16 additional self-service counters will be installed. There will be six waiting halls for pilgrims with a total area of 105,000 sq. meters. There will also be 200 parking spaces for buses, 1,500 parking spaces for cars and 200 parking spaces for cars for rent. There will be a mosque and open space with an area of 3,920 sq. meters. The airport is the first airport in the Kingdom to be fully built by the private sector. The airport was built by Taiba Holding Company, TAV Airports Holding Company, Al-Rajhi Holding Group and Saudi Oger Limited. It is also the first airport outside of the United States to receive the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) golden certificate for its eco-friendly building.
