Similar is the case of Haj and Umrah pilgrims as well as visitors to the holy city who travel to Jeddah’s airport and spend more than two hours to complete procedures for their departure to various domestic and foreign destinations.
They have to confront numerous problems at King Abdul Aziz International Airport mainly due to the heavy rush all through the year, especially during the peak Haj and Umrah as well as vacation seasons.
Needless to say, the difficulties due to the delay or cancellation of flights without prior notice are routine in the case of our national carrier — Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Moreover, the unexpected traffic problems along the Makkah- Jeddah expressway also more often than not result in the delay of passengers reaching the airport.
It is true that the idea of an airport for Makkah is not a new one. It has been a hot topic of discussion for the local dailies for some time.
Some officials used to declare that such an airport is not necessary and that one in Jeddah is enough. But it seems that some of these people who oppose an airport in Makkah do not understand the magnitude of the difficulties passengers face in Jeddah. There seems to be no respite to these hardships, but they are aggravating day by day.
There are some factors contributing to this. These include the traffic congestion along the Haramain Road, especially from the Jeddah checkpoint up to the airport.
Most often there is a heavy rush on the road especially in the morning and after Dhuhr and Asr prayers, and this perhaps extend to the late hours in the night. This means that there is no end to traffic congestion on the road. This is more evident when traffic accidents often occur.
There should be urgent remedial measures to solve traffic jams on this portion of the road. There has not been any noticeable advantage with the expansion of the road a few years ago.
Whatever the solutions in place to tackle the problems facing Jeddah’s airport, they would neither be sufficient nor stand in the way of the demand for establishing a new airport for Makkah.
There should be one new airport at least providing domestic flights, especially between Makkah and Madinah. Apart from easing the heavy pressure on Jeddah’s airport, this would also be a big comfort to the people of Makkah as well as pilgrims and visitors to the holy city.
The proposed Haramain Rail that would connect Makkah and Madinah is said to be instrumental in solving traffic problems or at least ease them by enabling people to reach both the cities within the short span of one and a half hours.
But that is not an excuse to turn down the demand for a new airport, especially in the wake of the growing number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the holy city. No doubt the Haramain train would solve the problem partly but it is not at all a total solution.
