The first phase of the construction of the new King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is scheduled for completion in 2014. Construction of the airport commenced in 2006 and once it becomes operational, it will be able to cater for 30 million annual passengers, in comparison to the 13 million capacity currently offered by the existing airport.
At the heart of the new airport will be the state-of-the-art terminal facility, covering an area of 670,000sqm and operating as a domestic and international hub. It will also operate as a multi-modal hub, with a high-speed rail service to serve Makkah and Madinah currently under construction.
A new Air Traffic Control complex and tower, new taxiways, redeveloped airside and landside road networks, utilities networks, and service and support buildings are all also included in Phase One. The first phase of the Cargo Village and Airport City is also scheduled to be in place by 2014.
The development of the new KAIA also includes two further phases of development, which will be undertaken up to 2035 and will see overall capacity further increased to 70-80 million passengers.
Throughout the construction of the new airport, emphasis has been placed on environmental efficiency and a target is in place to achieve Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Silver status.
