He also underlined the need for enhanced coordination with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and the New Airport Project Department to find out the future requirements of the airport, especially with regard to human resources.
“Emphasis should be given to make available a sufficient number of qualified hands for the airport’s operation and give them training before they work at the new airport,” he said. The governor was chairing a meeting of officials to review the progress on the new airport project.
Prince Khaled also watched a video presentation by GACA on the first phase of the project. The meeting was also attended by senior officials such as Faisal bin Hamad Al-Soghair, deputy chairman of GACA, Abdul Aziz Al-Khudairy, undersecretary at Makkah governorate, and Muhammad Abed, director of the airport project.
The late Crown Prince Sultan laid the cornerstone for the new airport on Jan. 11 last year. Saudi Binladin Group was awarded the contract worth SR27.1 billion ($7.2 billion) in November 2010 following a bidding process.
The airport is designed in the shape of two crescents because of its status as a gateway to the two holy mosques. The current capacity for the airport stands at 17 million passengers. The new airport’s annual capacity will rise to 30 million passengers when the first phase of the project is completed within the 36-month contract period. The airport’s capacity will increase to 40 million and then 80 million passengers when the second and third phases of the project are completed in 2025 and 2035 respectively.
The country's largest builder will construct a single 670,000-square-meter terminal with 94 aircraft bays to replace the two ageing facilities currently handling airport traffic. It will also build what the Saudi airports authority has described as the world's tallest airport control tower at 133 meters and infrastructure linking the terminal with roads and the planned high-speed Haramain railway that will join Jeddah with Makkah and Madinah.
The ongoing work of the first phase covers construction of the passengers’ terminal complex, control tower, supporting facilities, transport and service centers, and a multi-story car park.
