JEDDAH, 20 May 2005 — Studies are under way to expand the Prince Muhammad Airport in Madinah in order to accommodate more than one million passengers including pilgrims annually, informed sources told Arab News. Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin is closely following up the studies as he intends to make it one of the best airports in the region with state-of-the-art facilities.
The Madinah airport currently receives nine flights daily from certain Islamic countries carrying about 3,600 Umrah pilgrims, said airport director Abdul Fatah.
The Madinah airport expansion comes on the heels of another project by the Civil Aviation Corporation (CAC) to establish four new passenger lounges at the Haj Terminal of King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.
“The new lounges will be established by the private sector on a build, operation and transfer system (BOT),” an informed source told Arab News. The new passenger lounges, which are planned to accommodate the growing number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims, will be provided with aerobridges. The corporation also is planning to set up 40 TV screens to provide passengers with information on flight arrivals and departures and 1,000 additional seats for pilgrims’ comfort as well as 300 new toilets.
According to a statement by former Haj Minister Iyad Madani, the Kingdom is making plans to receive 10 million pilgrims annually in the backdrop of growing Muslim population in countries around the world.
Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz Airport is the main gateway of pilgrims, which at present receives more than one million Haj pilgrims and nearly two million Umrah pilgrims.
The aviation corporation has embarked on another project to expand an airport in the southern city of Bisha. The project is estimated to cost SR113 million. Work on the Bisha airport will be completed within two years when its lounges will be ready to accommodate 400 passengers. The airport will also be able to receive three planes at a time once the project is completed. The project includes construction of buildings for administration, cargo and postal service.
The corporation is weighing prospects of establishing a new regional airport in the northwestern coastal city of Dhuba after its seaport reportedly has become a major hub for Gulf passengers traveling to Egypt and other African countries.
The Kingdom has spent more than SR50 billion on airports over the past two decades. There are three international airports in the Kingdom. King Fahd International Airport in Dammam is the largest, with an annual capacity of 16 million passengers.
