“The new terminal has the capacity to accommodate 600 passengers per hour,” GACA said, adding that the capacity would double to 1,200 passengers once the second phase of the airport project is completed.

“The second phase includes construction of the first floor, which will be completed by the end of next month,” the GACA statement said. The new terminal’s opening will improve services to pilgrims.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to expand the airport’s aircraft parking facility to accommodate five large-size planes at a time. Earlier this year, GACA completed construction of two passenger lounges at the airport for Umrah passengers.

The Madinah airport receives a large number of Umrah flights nowadays. Since the beginning of this year’s Umrah season, the airport received more than 700,000 pilgrims who arrived and departed on 2,800 flights.

GACA intends to increase the airport's monthly capacity from 400,000 passengers to 1 million. Located about 15 km from the city center, the airport was constructed in 1971. It has since then witnessed a number of expansions and development projects.

The expansion of Madinah airport is aimed at accommodating the growing number of Umrah and Haj pilgrims who visit the Kingdom every year.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Haj, there will be a 45 percent increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims this year after it issued more than 5.18 million visas for the minor pilgrimage.

“As many as 3,855,564 pilgrims have arrived in Madinah since the beginning of the Umrah season this year,” the ministry said. “By next month, 1,330,636 more Umrah pilgrims are expected to arrive,” it added.

The Madinah airport expansion has reduced the pressure on King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, the main gateway for foreign pilgrims. KAIA has so far received more than 2.4 million pilgrims during this Umrah season, an increase of 109 percent compared to last year. The pilgrims arrived on a total of 14,200 flights.

“There was a 62 percent increase in the number of Umrah flights that arrived in KAIA this year compared to last year,” said a GACA statement.

The holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are crowded with Umrah pilgrims who have come from different parts of the world, especially Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

According to a report issued by NCB, the Kingdom's tourism industry earnings from international travelers would reach SR80 billion by 2015.

“The largest share of inbound tourism is religious tourism as people from across the world visit Makkah and Madinah to perform Haj and Umrah. During 2009, religious tourism trips accounted for 47.1 percent of all trips to the Kingdom,” the NCB report said.