Foreign Airlines Welcome Expansion Plan for KAIA

JEDDAH, 24 May 2005 — All airlines serving Jeddah as well as the travel industry in general reacted to the expansion plans for King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) as “positive and visionary.” Amer Akhtar, an Emirates executive, said, “We appreciate the visionary policy of the Presidency of Civil Aviation (PCA).

The announcement is positive, as the expansion plan is designed to accommodate the large aircraft, including Airbus A380, the world’s biggest.”

The 555-seat four-engined A380 is the most advanced aircraft ever built, designed in close collaboration with major airlines, airports and aeronautical experts from all over the world.

Qatar Airways, whose Jeddah-based office is headed by Western Province Area manager, Ahmed M. Al-Idrissi, is also happy with the airport expansion plan. The airline is scheduled to take delivery of its first A380 in 2009 to coincide with the opening of the New Doha International Airport (NDIA), the first airport in the world to be designed and built specifically to accommodate the twin-deck A380.

“The KAIA expansion plan is something all airlines have been looking forward to,” Air-India’s Western Province Manager, Ashok Kumar, said.

“Surely, the congestion during the peak vacation periods will be reduced by the improvement of facilities,” he said.

“The KAIA expansion plan is great news. It will surely benefit airlines and the traveling public,” said Singapore Airlines’ Middle East General Manager, Sher M. Khan. “We’ll consider operating the super jumbo to the Kingdom once its airports are ready,” he said.

PIA General Manager Talaat Omar said expansion of the airport was a good thing as existing facilities had not met growing demands.

“The PCA’s plan is excellent and we strongly feel that facilities should be made available for all categories of planes with different capacities,” he said.

Swiss International Air Lines Area manager Manuel Staerkle said: “We’re happy and we welcome the airport’s expansion plan. The sooner it’s done, the better as we’ve been hearing about it for the last 10 years.”