Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced a plan for King Salman International Airport that will boost positioning as a global one logistics center
This will boost transportation, trade and tourism and will act as a bridge connecting East to West. The airport project is in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision to make Riyadh one of the top ten economic cities in the world and to support Riyadh’s population growth to 15-20 million people by 2030.
Saudi supply chain initiative
The proposal would aim to make King Salman International Airport one of the largest airports in the world, covering an area of approximately 57 km2, allowing six parallel runways and incorporating existing terminals named after King Khalid are. It will also include 12 km2 of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail stores and other logistics real estate. The airport is expected to accommodate up to 120 million travelers by 2030, 185 million travelers by 2050 and handle 3.5 million tons of cargo.
“It will become an aerotropolis centered around a seamless customer journey, world-class efficient operations, and innovation. Riyadh’s identity and the Saudi culture will be taken into consideration in the airport’s design to ensure a unique travel experience for visitors and transit travellers,” the press release said.
With sustainability at its core, the new airport will earn LEED Platinum certification by incorporating cutting-edge green initiatives into its design and powered by renewable energy.
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The announcement is part of PIF’s strategy focused on freeing up capacity in promising sectors to boost Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification efforts and is in line with the National Transport Strategy and the Initiative of Resilience of the global supply chain. The new airport is expected to contribute 27 billion Saudi Riyals per year to non-oil GDP and create 103,000 direct and indirect jobs, in line with Vision 2030 targets.
