The winner of the tender for the new Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport in Madina will be announced soon, according to informed sources at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The airport will be second in importance to King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, and will meet the increasing demand for flights to Madina. The project was ordered by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to serve Madina residents and visitors. The project is being monitored by Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Madina. The present airport opened in 1974. It handles mostly domestic flights, although it has limited scheduled international services to regional destinations such as Cairo, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul and Kuwait. It also handles charter international flights during the Haj season. Meanwhile, the construction of new lounges and excavation work for a tunnel will link King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah with Al-Haramain and Jeddah trains are underway. Dr. Faisal Al-Suqair, GACA Chairman, and Engineer Muhammad Abed, Director of the airport, are monitoring the project. __
