King Salman International will be almost twice the size of Dubai International. Photo / Foster + Partners, Supplied
King Salman International will be almost twice the size of Dubai International. Photo / Foster + Partners, Supplied
Over the past two decades countries around the Persian Gulf have become hubs for international air travel, but it appears there is a new arrival on the boards.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced its ambitions to build one of the world’s largest airports in Riyadh.
Plans unveiled by the Saudi Public Investment Fund last week show the King Salman International Airport would be one of the largest airports in the region.
Built upon the terminals of Riyadh’s existing King Khalid Airport, both Hamad International (22 km2) in neighbouring Qatar and Dubai International (29 km2) would comfortably fit within the new airport complex.
Aiming to be in operation as soon as 2030, the mega-build has set the ambitious target of 185 million annual passengers by 2050.
King Salman airport will be an advert for Saudi Arabian tourism. Photo / Foster + Partners, Supplied
“King Salman International Airport is expected to be one of the world’s largest airports covering an area of approximately 57 km2, allowing for six parallel runways and including the existing terminals named after King Khalid,” said the PIF.
Saudi Arabia - which is already home to the world’s largest airport, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam - is determined to boost the number of leisure visitors to the country.
Architects Foster + Partners who were awarded the bid said that on top of 3.5 million tons of cargo, the brief was about creating a gateway for tourism.
“This visionary development will play an important role in shaping the city into a global hub of creativity and innovation,” said Seif A Bahaa Eldin, Senior Partner of Foster + Partners.
The PIF said that the airport aims to impress a sense of Saudi culture and Riyadh’s identity on passengers, even if they are just transiting through.
There will be 12 square kilometres of retail space within the airport with large glass viewing portals onto desert gardens. The airport will be a giant tourism advert for the Kingdom to the millions of passengers passing through.
King Salman International aims to welcome 185 million passengers by 2050. Photo / Foster + Partners, Supplied
Saudi’s tourism gambit
Last week Saudi Arabia outlined its ambitions for 2030, aiming to grow leisure and tourism to more than 10 per cent of GDP and add one million jobs in the sector.
Off the back of the new Tourist Visa issued in 2019, it saw 440,000 tourists in the first half of 2020, pre-pandemic. The kingdom has its work cut out if it wants to meet the ambitious target of 100 million annual visits by 2030.
