Master plan unveiled for new Riyadh mega hub and future aerotropolis

Saudi Arabia today unveiled plans for a new mega hub for Riyadh which will be called King Salman International Airport.

According to the master plan, King Salman International Airport will boost Riyadh’s position as a global logistics hub and stimulate transport, trade and tourism.

It is expected to accommodate up to 185 million passengers per annum and process 3.5 million tons of cargo yearly by 2050.

The gateway will be located on a huge 57 square kilometre site allowing for six parallel runways and airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, and retail outlets.

And Saudi officials that it will will be built with sustainability at its core, ensuring that King Salman International Airport will be powered by renewable energy.

The hugely ambitious plan was unveiled today by His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) and chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

He noted that the masterplan for King Salman International Airport will boost Riyadh’s position as a global logistics hub, stimulate transport, trade and tourism, and act as a bridge linking the East with the West.

The airport project is in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision to transform Riyadh to be among the top ten city economies in the world and to support the growth of Riyadh’s population to 15–20 million people by 2030.

In addition to its aviation infrastructure, the airport site will also include 12km² of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets, and other logistics real estate.

If all goes to plan, the airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and potentially 185 million by 2050, along with the capacity to process 3.5 million tons of cargo.

And there’s more as its backers want the new gateway to become an aerotropolis centred around a seamless customer journey, world-class efficient operations, and innovation.

Riyadh’s identity and the Saudi culture, they say, will be taken into consideration in the airport’s design to ensure a unique travel experience for visitors and transit travellers.

“With sustainability at its core, the new airport will achieve LEED Platinum certification by incorporating cutting edge green initiatives into its design and will be powered by renewable energy”, says PIF.

The announcement comes as part of PIF’s strategy which focuses on unlocking the capabilities of promising sectors to enhance Saudi Arabia’s efforts in diversifying the economy, and it is in line with the National Transport Strategy and the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.

The new airport is expected to contribute 27 billion Saudi Riyals annually to non-oil GDP and to create 103,000 direct and indirect jobs, in line with Vision 2030 objectives.