The Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU) has revealed designs for the second terminal of Al-Ula International airport. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the seventh annual Future Investment Initiative event in Riyadh.

The new terminal will offer amenities including a five-star hotel and commercial facilities.

Further details about the architect, construction timelines and the budget have yet to be revealed by the RCU.

The construction of a new terminal building at Al-Ula International airport forms a critical part of the RCU's airport expansion plans to handle the projected increase in annual passenger capacity.

Earlier in October, Saudi Arabia's gigaproject developer Red Sea Global (RSG) announced that it is also upgrading and refurbishing Al-Wajh airport in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk province. The project aims to modernise the airport to align with international standards. This new development will offer more direct flights, leading to greater connectivity.

RSG said in a statement that tourism in the kingdom is experiencing significant growth. Tourism’s share of GDP has increased from 3 per cent to 7 per cent since the launch of Vision 2030.

The original target of hosting 100 million visitors a year by 2030 has been increased to 150 million because of progress already made.

Oil production cuts trim public sector growth, but private sector thrives

*=Year-to-date | Sources: IMF, MEED Projects, MEED

MEED’s October 2023 special report on Saudi Arabia includes: 

> COMMENT: Riyadh reshapes its global role
> POLITICS: Saudi Arabia looks both east and west
> SPORT: Saudi Arabia’s football vision goes global
> ECONOMY: Riyadh prioritises stability over headline growth
> BANKS: Saudi banks track more modest growth path
> UPSTREAM: Aramco focuses on upstream capacity building
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi chemical and downstream projects in motion
> POWER: Riyadh rides power projects surge
> WATER: Saudi water projects momentum holds steady
> GIGAPROJECTS: Gigaproject activity enters full swing
> TRANSPORT: Infrastructure projects support Riyadh’s logistics ambitions
> JEDDAH TOWER: Jeddah developer restarts world’s tallest tower