After many years of delays, Saudi Arabia is starting to make good progress on a raft of airport expansion projects. The expansion schemes are part of a growing number of projects planned or under way at airports across the GCC, as governments look to ramp up infrastructure to accommodate rapid growth in the aviation sector.

A total of $39bn-worth of airport schemes are under way in the Gulf, while a further $31bn are at the bid or design stages, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects. The aim of these projects is to facilitate economic growth by providing greater capacity for the region’s carriers, which have enjoyed double-digit growth in passenger traffic in recent years.

As usual, Dubai is leading the way and is on track to be able to handle 260 million passengers a year at the Dubai International and Al-Maktoum International airports by 2020.

However, while other governments in the region have long expressed a desire to improve their airport infrastructure, many schemes have suffered lengthy delays over the years, not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

In Qatar, Hamad International officially opened to all carriers on 27 May, after years of delays that were beginning to take a financial toll on the national carrier, Qatar Airways. But with the airport now up and running, the airline has more freedom to move ahead with its rapid expansion strategy and the country can position itself as a major regional transport hub capable of competing with Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

While other countries in the GCC may have lesser ambitions for their aviation sectors, they stand to benefit greatly by enhancing their airports. This is especially the case in Saudi Arabia, which is struggling to keep pace with a sharp increase in religious tourism in the kingdom. 

A total of $39bn-worth of airport schemes are under way in the Gulf, while a further $31bn are at the bid or design stages