Summary
- Riyadh’s upcoming airport aims to become a transportation and tourism mega-hub for the country and the wider region.
- Four strategic partners have been selected to design and develop the airport, which will feature six runways.
- Dubai is expanding Al Maktoum International Airport to maintain its status as a mega-hub in the Middle East.
Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport Development Company has announced four new strategic partnerships, which will help the airport enter the next phase of its development and become a transportation and tourism mega-hub in Riyadh. This will cater to Saudi Arabia’s development plans and boost the economy in the wider region.
From new terminals and facilities at the airport to enhancing the usage of the airspace for better efficiency, the airport is set to be a benchmark for future airport developments worldwide.
Four partners
One of the many companies funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC), which is in charge of the development of King Salman International Airport (KSIA), which is set to be a one-stop-hub for tourism in the country.
To help proceed into the next phase of the airport’s development, the KSIADC has announced four strategic firms, known for their “World-Class Design and Engineering”, as partners for this project:
1. Foster + Partners
2. Jacobs
3. Mace
4. Nera
Photo: King Salman International Airport Development Company
Award-winning architecture firm Foster + Partners will be in charge of designing the airport’s master plan, which encompasses a total area of 57 square kilometers and will have multiple terminal buildings and a staggering six runways. Engineering firm Jacobs, on the other hand, will contribute specialized consultancy services for the master plan and runway designs.
Mace, a leading consultation and construction company, will implement global best practices and innovative methodologies in the planning and construction stages. Finally, Nera, a Saudi-based firm specializing in providing technical and operational solutions for aviation, will be in charge of airspace design, with the aim of improving air traffic flow and making flight operations more efficient.
As reported by the Airport World, The CEO of Mace Consult, Davendra Dabasia, says:
“King Salman International Airport is a game-changing infrastructure programme. The scale of ambition for the programme’s physical build, as well as its commitment to sustainability, innovation and economic development, is unmatched.”
Not the only airport
While architecture firm Foster + Partners is heavily involved in the development of KSIA, the company (along with other firms such as Sasaki) is also working on the old airport in Athens, Greece.
Image: Sasaki
In this instance, however, the firm is working on turning the old coastal Ellinikon International Airport, which has been abandoned for over two decades, into a rejuvenated green space for the city of Athens. The aim is to turn the former airport into the largest coastal park in the whole of Europe.
Related
Ellinikon: The Abandoned Greek Airport Used In The 2004 Olympics & Now Being Turned Into A Park
Turning the old Ellinikon International Airport (ATH) into a greenspace is one of the most significant projects taking place in Europe.
The area is said to be turned into multi-neighbourhood green parks, wherein each neighborhood would be self-sustaining and connected to each other in sustainable means and connected to Athens via various public transport modes.
Another airport in the Middle East
Focusing back to the Middle East, while Saudi Arabia is working towards the completion of KSIA by 2030, there is another airport being developed in close proximity. While Saudi Arabia aims to transform itself into a major hub, Dubai, on the other hand, is looking to maintain its status as the mega-hub of the Middle East and is currently working on the expansion of the city’s second airport – Al Maktoum International Airport also known as
Dubai World Central Airport
(DWC).
Related
Dubai’s Ruler Approves Final Designs For Massive $35 Billion New Airport
Al Maktoum International Airport will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport.
Photo: Philip Lange | Shutterstock
While the airport currently handles very little passenger traffic and focuses a lot on cargo operations, once the airport has undergone the $35 billion expansion, it aims to become the world’s largest airport, featuring over 400 aircraft gates.
Considering the current airport,
Dubai International Airport
(DXB), is the busiest international airport in the world, and the home carriers,
Emirates
and
flydubai
, are expecting to receive over 500 aircraft (combined) in the coming years, there is a need to increase the capacity which the new airport will provide.