King Salman International Airport, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is about to enter a new stage of development

Riyadh: The new airport is expected to contribute 27 billion riyals (7.2 billion US dollars) annually to non oil gross domestic product and create 103000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, in line with the 2030 Vision goals. Global companies including Foster&Partners, Jacobs Engineering, Mace, and Nera have signed contracts for the new phase development of King Salman International Airport in Saudi Arabia

Developed by King Salman International Airport Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, agreements have been reached with leading companies in architecture, engineering, construction, and air traffic management to promote the expansion of the facility and establish it as a major tourism, travel, and transportation hub in Riyadh and beyond.

The new airport covers an area of approximately 57 square kilometers and will have six parallel runways and an existing terminal named after the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Khalid. It will also include supporting facilities, residential and leisure areas, retail space, and logistics warehousing.

Prior to this, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the overall plan for the airport in 2022, outlining its transformation into one of the world's largest airports with the goal of accommodating up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million passengers by 2050, with a cargo capacity of 3.5 million tons.

Marco Mejia, CEO of King Salman International Airport Development Corporation, said, "We are committed to making it a pioneering model for the world aviation industry, in line with Saudi Arabia's 2030 vision, aimed at transforming Riyadh into a gateway to the world and a global transportation, trade, and tourism destination, enhancing Saudi Arabia's position as a global logistics center, and contributing to economic development

According to reports, the completion of King Salman International Airport is expected to generate an annual non oil output value of 51.4 billion RMB. This indicates that the airport expansion project will not only help enhance Saudi Arabia's transportation capacity, but also have a positive impact on Saudi Arabia's diversified economic development. The expansion of the airport will drive the development of related industries such as tourism, logistics, and retail, injecting new vitality into the Saudi economy.