Passenger congestion puts pressure on Abha airport

Courtesy: arabianindustry

ABHA: Congestion in front of the Abha Airport is continuing during the current festivities without any promising solutions, even though the city has long been known as a top tourism destination.
An Abha Airport source said that the crisis is continuing because of the pressure at the arrivals department of the airport, especially during the Eid festivities and the summer holidays. This is largely because this airport is the only one that serves Abha, Khamis Mushait and the neighboring areas. Additionally, due to the holiday period, the number of flights has increased by 40 percent, which creates congestion at the airport counters.
In the airport however, there is a counter for those with special needs, along with those traveling business and first class. Regardless, in times of congestion, this counter is also used to attempt to speed up the process for economy class passengers.
The source said that the airport will be expanded in the near future, with bigger halls for domestic and international flights to allow a greater capacity for flights to Asir during the summer.
Travelers at the airport said that the congestion, pressure and traffic are normal for this time of year and that the Abha Airport is basically busy all-year-round. However, pressure will increase because of the rising local population in the area, according to Okaz.