Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, said on Saturday that contrary to reports there are no plans for a new airport serving the Makkah region. “Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz International Airport and the Islamic Port are the air and sea ports for the region”, Prince Khaled said. “The region's comprehensive plan does not require a new airport and we're not thinking about it.” The Emir's comments came during a visit to the Al-Jamoum region where he looked at progress being made in development projects valued at over SR550 million, and discussed with the local council delayed construction works on a number of other projects. “We have reached the means to avoid delays and complete the projects as soon as possible,” the Emir said. Reports last week said the Shoura Council gave the go-ahead for a feasibility study into a Makkah airport outside the perimeters of the city's sanctity. The proposal, brought by Shoura member Tareq Fad'aq, was approved after numerous previous attempts. “The province of Makkah has a population of six million people and the airports in Jeddah and Taif do not meet the needs of either the area or the number of people,” Fad'aq said. “Another factor is the importance of linking Makkah and Madina to allow a resident of Riyadh, for example, to perform Umrah, visit Madina and return home the same day.” Fad'aq said that a study he did 17 years ago showed that two locations were suitable for the site of a new airport, Al-Shumaisi and Al-Harrat areas. Other studies for the same idea have been presented to the Shoura Council in previous years by Sadaqa Fadel and Sulaiman Al-Zaydi. The new Shoura study is expected to take around one year.
