JEDDAH: Tabuk Regional Airport, which is being developed by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), will receive international flights, said Abdullah Rehaimi, president of GACA.
"We have contacted Saudi Arabian Airlines and some foreign airline companies to operate international flights to Tabuk airport," Rehaimi told reporters after inspecting the airport's expansion project.
He commended the remarkable progress achieved by the Tabuk province in recent years, adding that a large number of people travel to Tabuk for education, tourism, business and investment.
"Tabuk has become a center of attraction for people within the Kingdom and abroad," the GACA chief said while highlighting prospects of the newly expanded airport.
"Tabuk Regional Airport will become one of the model airports in the region," Rehaimi said, adding that the expansion project would be completed within three months.
Earlier he met with Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan who emphasized the need for completing the airport project quickly and efficiently. The present airport has terminals for both domestic and international flights.
GACA plans to spend between $10 billion and $20 billion on developing and upgrading airports by 2020, with private investors set to contribute up to $10 billion.
It has plans to establish two new airports in Jazan and Taif with advanced facilities. The new airport in Jazan will be named after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and will be located close to the Economic City.
The King Abdullah Airport will have a capacity to handle three million passengers a year. The airport will be tendered for developers next year after the design is completed, the authority said, adding that it would have high-tech aviation facilities.
The airport will have a passenger terminal to accommodate three million passengers annually. It will be located 30 km from Jazan Economic City (JEC), which is being developed by the Saudi Binladin Group and Malaysia's MMC Corp.
The new 57-square km Taif regional airport will be located 30 km northeast of the resort city, 70 km from Makkah, and 160 km from Jeddah.
In addition to serving millions of pilgrims who visit the Kingdom annually, the new airport would play a big role in developing tourism in the province.
The Taif new airport would reduce pressure on King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, the main gateway of pilgrims. Taif airport currently receives pilgrims from GCC countries.
© Arab News 2010
