Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, laid the foundation stone for the new King Abdul Aziz International Airport project in Jeddah earlier this week.Saudi Binladin Group is carrying out the project at an estimated construction cost at SR27 billion US$ 7.2 billion).
The complex will play a pivotal role in supporting the economic structure and achieving a more advanced life for the citizens who are the focus and key components of development and its goals, he said. "In recent years, the world has witnessed changes in the concept of airports in terms of their objectives, functions and methods of management and operation," Prince Sultan said.
"The project for which we are laying the foundation stone today will enable King Abdul Aziz International Airport to keep pace with these changes and occupy the position it deserves among international airports in general and regional airports in particular. Also, it will be a distinctive entry point for the Kingdom, God willing," he said.
The Crown Prince stressed that executing this giant project requires the collective efforts of all the related authorities, whether government or private. "All should cooperate in completing this project during the specified period to make it one of the edifices of development that we are proud of in our dear nation and one of the prominent landmarks for the advancement enjoyed by the people of the Kingdom, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques," he said.
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Prince of Makkah Region, said this project is part of the strategy for developing Makkah region that aims to improve people's lives and compliments the system of projects being executed and those are to be executed.
According to the strategy, the Makkah region will witness an urban boom with large, unprecedented projects to improve the area for its residents and visitors, he said. The area's civil aviation-related projects include the new Taif Regional Airport in Al-Qunfudha Governorate and converting the aviation school in Rabigh into a university specializing in aviation sciences that is under preliminary study, he noted.
Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Civil Aviation, said the new project will be completed in three years. Government authorities must cooperate to execute the project, said Prince Fahd who is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and Chairman of the Executive Committee and Supervisory Committee for King Abdul Aziz International Airport.
Source: The Saudi Gazette
