Work on the new King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) project is in full swing. When the project will finally be completed, KAIA is set to become one of the busiest airports in the world. Saudi Gazette recently got an opportunity to closely see the massive expansion project in progress — the largest construction project at any airport in Saudi Arabia.
Smells of cut metal, wood and dust fill the air as about 25,000 engineers and workers from 110 companies work in an area of 105 square kilometers to build the much-needed facility to receive the millions of guests of Almighty Allah and other passengers from across the globe.
Hisham Hariri, security & safety director at the new KAIA project, said the new airport project is scheduled to become a hub to promote the economic spirit of the Kingdom, to support national air transportation system and to enhance service as the gateway to the holy sites in and around Makkah and Madinah.
Pointing at the project model, Hariri said: “With the completion of the first phase the airport will handle 30 million passengers. After completion of the second phase, it will be able to handle 50 million passengers, and 80 million following the third phase.”
Under the patronage of late King Abdullah, a three-phase master plan for KAIA was developed in 2005 to initiate an ambitious project that will boost economic development and growth plans of the port city of Jeddah and Saudi Arabia.
Work on the project, Hariri said, is being done as per schedule. “Nearly 60 percent is now complete and the first phase is expected to be ready by the middle of 2016. It is called trial testing, to ensure that the airport's systems are functioning optimally,” he said.
According to Hariri, the new terminal will serve both Saudia and foreign carriers with international gates accessible by an automated passengers transport system. The departure lounge will have 200 check-in counters, in addition to 80 self-service counters, 46 departure gates and waiting lounges, a hotel and a modern shopping area. The project will have the world's tallest air traffic control tower, which currently stands at 136 meters. A 7-km service tunnel will link all utility projects, including three power plants and three information centers. The airport will also include an automated train to transfer passengers across the 700-meter distance between the terminals and boarding gates.
Hariri pointed out that the project also includes an expressway connecting Al-Haramain Expressway to Madinah Road crossing over Prince Majed Road, which will be the main access road to the airport. The Haramain Train will also have a stop at the airport.
Beside international departure lounges, the new airport will include duty free area, airport hotel, automated people mover (APM), processing area, commercial areas, transportation center and Haramain railway station.
The construction of the new airport will cost a total of (SR27 billion) and will serve 70 aircraft at the same time. Also there will be temporary aircraft parking space located around the terminal complex to accommodate 28 aircraft.
Hariri explained that the general vision of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) is to make the KAIA project a landmark economic development for the region and the nation, capitalizing on the Kingdom's ambitious growth plans and the authority's efforts to enhance the status of Jeddah as an international hub.
