Saudi Arabia's 2009 state budget has cleared the way for work to start on several new airports across the Kingdom, Abdullah Nour Rahimi, chief of the General Authority of Civil Aviation announced. He was speaking after a Civil Aviation meeting to discuss development projects in the aviation sector in line with the 2009 budget, Saudi Arabia's biggest ever at SR475 billion, which was unveiled Monday. The new budget allocates SR19.2 billion to the transportation sector, of which SR5.14 billion is for new aviation projects. “We will be able to launch many development projects soon,” said Rahimi. The new projects will include all international and domestic airports in the Kingdom. “We will have new facilities at Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz International Airport,” Rahimi said, noting that SR6 million have been allocated for the purpose. “Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madina and Taif Airport will also be modernized.” Expansion of several domestic airports and King Khalid International Airport is also on the cards. The most up-to-date technical equipment will be used in all the Kingdom's airportjjjs, he said.
