Saudi Arabia has opened the new Arar airport in the northern borders region, with the potential to serve more than one million passengers per year.
The new airport was inaugurated by Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Northern Borders Region, and Saudi Transport Minister Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser.
According to the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the venture, constructed for $101 million (SAR382 million), can handle more than 10,000 flights annually, and marks a “qualitative shift in the field of air transport for the northern border region.”
The airport will initially have flights to and from the capital Riyadh operated by Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia). Further, it will meet the increasing demand of residents of the area for air travel and will provide services at international standards. This is in line with the reform plans of the Kingdom to achieve economic growth in all of the Saudi regions.
New airport’s features
The main travel terminal of the new airport has six travel gates, including two passenger bridge gates in the new terminal that can accommodate four planes at one time, and four gates that can serve airplanes parked airside.
The terminal also comprises 10 check-in counters in the arrival area and 12 passport control counters, and eight departure area counters. The main passenger terminal has 900 seats, while the car park can accommodate 616 spaces. The airport also has an “advanced” luggage handling system with two conveyor belts.
Furthermore, the authority is working to develop a network of international and domestic airports to address the growing demand and increase in the number of passengers flying across the kingdom from different airports.
