New Makkah airport plan gets green light

Plans to establish an new international airport on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah have been given the green light, it was reported on Monday.

The Shoura Council unanimously agreed with the proposal which was included in the annual report of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), Arab News reported.

In a statement after the session, Secretary-General of the Council Mohammed Al-Ghamdi said the international airport would be located outside the Haram area to allow both Muslims and non-Muslims to travel to the region.

A large number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims are expected to benefit from the proposed facility.

Council members also recommended to finance the development of the domestic airports in the kingdom with state-of-the art technology, the paper added.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia said it had shortlisted four groups, including Houston based Hines, for a $2.4 billion project to build and operate facilities linked to an airport in Jeddah.

The so called Airport City project, which will take about 10 years to complete, is part of a plan to attract about $5.86 billion in investments to build, own and operate one airport and terminal related facilities.