MADINAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will inaugurate the new Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah in a grand ceremony on Thursday night. The event will be attended by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy prime minister and minister of interior, Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy prime minister and minister of defense, other princes and senior officials as well as a large number of citizens. Occupying a total area of 4 million square meters, the new airport will contribute to raising the level of services provided to travelers. The capacity of the airport is 8 million passengers a year in its first phase, which will rise to 18 million passengers a year in the second phase. The third phase of the master plan will more than double the capacity to over 40 million passengers a year. Last April, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) commenced trial operations at the airport to ensure the readiness of all systems, devices and equipment in preparation for the start of commercial operations. The new Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah is the first airport in the Kingdom to be constructed and operated entirely by the private sector under the BTO scheme. A consortium of specialized companies led by Taibah Airports Operations Company will operate the airport. The consortium won the bid after beating stiff competition from a number of Saudi and foreign companies. The construction contract was won by a consortium consisting of Al Rajhi Holding Group, Saudi Oger and Turkish Holding TAV. The total investment in the first phase is SR4.5 billion ($1.2 billion). The project was funded by the National Commercial Bank, Saudi British Bank and Arab National Bank under the supervision of the International Finance Authority, a member of the World Bank Group. President of GACA Suleiman Al-Hamdan said Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport is the gateway for guests to the city of Madinah, which hosts the second holiest mosque in Islam after the Grand Mosque in Makkah. He said the airport is the first in a series of new airports to be built in the Kingdom and has the distinction of the first airport in the country constructed and operated with the private sector participation. "Since its transformation from the Presidency of Civil Aviation to a commission in 1426 AH, the General Authority of Civil Aviation has sought to implement the Council of Ministers decision, which was issued in 1434 AH, asking GACA to expand and accelerate the construction of new airports in cooperation with local and international companies," Al-Hamdan said. He added that GACA has implemented this request by working on a commercial basis to secure funding for building and operating new airports in order to provide the best services for travelers without depleting the state budget. The GACA president said the airport represents a milestone, which reflects the cultural heritage of Madinah and is the first in the world outside the United States to be adopted by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) after meeting all the obligations and requirements for the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certificate. The main passenger terminal covers an area of 155,000 square meters and has 72 check-in counters, of which eight are for large size baggage, 24 counters for self check-in, 26 passports counter for departures and the same number for arrivals. The waiting lounge has a capacity for 4,000 people. Technology-based services include 36 elevators, 28 escalators and 23 conveyor belts, all in place to facilitate and speed up the movement of passengers and luggage inside the passenger terminal complex. In addition, the new airport features local and international shops, restaurants and cafes as well as banking and transportation services, including buses and taxis. As per the directives of the government to provide world class services to the passengers, six external terminals with a total area of 10,000 square meters have been built and equipped with necessary utilities, Al-Hamdan said. These terminals are strategically located within proximity of the Haj Terminal to facilitate and expedite the procedures for arrivals and departures, he added.
