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The 30-year-old King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) is undergoing a massive overhaul that would further entrench its leading status in the region and the world.

The first phase saw two main contracts signed on November 13, 2010, to expand the facility as the main gateway to Jeddah and the Two Holy Mosques. Jeddah, of course, is an economic powerhouse and one of the most important cities in the Middle East.

The KAIA is currently enjoying substantial growth in air traffic. It is already the Kingdom’s busiest airport, serving approximately 41 percent of all passengers.

The parameters for the expansion project include catering for an expected rise in air traffic, supporting economic developments in Makkah and other regions, accommodating the new generation of jumbo aircraft such as the A380 and becoming a regional travel hub.

The government also plans to ensure that there are opportunities for private sector companies, and the provision of services for travelers that would rank with leading airports around the globe.

The project consists of three phases, but most of the basic infrastructure construction will take place over the first phase, with the capacity increased to handle 30 million passengers. After completion of the second phase, it will be able to handle 50 million passengers, and 80 million following the third phase.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has said that the project is going well and nearly 70 percent complete. The entire project is expected to be ready by the middle of 2016. This would be followed immediately by a commissioning phase, or operational testing, to ensure that the airport’s systems are functioning optimally.

There are about 110 companies active on the KAIA project, incorporating around 26,000 engineers and workers, with approximately 2,600 pieces of equipment and machinery.

The significant progress on the expansion has been achieved because of the close cooperation between the Ministry of Transport, Makkah emirate and companies currently involved in building bridges, roads and the Haramain High-Speed Railway.

The construction at the airport has taken place with minimal obstruction of facilities and services for millions of passengers, particularly during holidays and other peak times.

For example, the project’s contractors have not used any of the roads leading to the terminals. And to avoid affecting the movement of traffic around the airport, 30 central concrete mixers have been set up inside the project site.

Most of the new airport systems and facilities have either been completed or are in the final stages. For instance, the testing of the baggage handling system, which is computerized and delivers luggage from check-in counters to aircraft in just 9 minutes without human intervention, has already commenced.

The system is one of the world’s most advanced and will comprise 31-km-long conveyor belts, 62 self check-in machines, 46 control units, 230 standard check-in counters, 11 bulky baggage processing counters, 16 baggage claim belts, and 16 transit baggage processing counters.

The first phase facilities include a terminals complex over 720,000 square meters, allowing all airlines to operate under one roof; 46 gates for international and domestic flights; and 94 air bridges for serving aircraft of different sizes.

There will be five lounges for first class and business class passengers — two for departing international flights and two for departing domestic flights — while the fifth is for other passengers proceeding on international and domestic flights.

There will be a 136-meter-high control tower, one of the tallest in the world, and a 27,987-square-meter area inside the terminal complex for commercial investment.

The contractors will also complete a mosque for about 3,000 people, with an outdoor prayer yard over 2,450 square meters and an upper level that has the capacity for 700 females.

Other facilities include 220 passenger-processing counters and 80 self-service machines. There will also be an automatic train system for international flight passengers inside the terminals complex.

There will be aprons and taxiways over 2.1 million square meters, air conditioning systems, fire-extinguishing facilities, sanitation and rainwater drainage networks.

Also under construction is a four-level short-term car park for 8,200 vehicles equipped with advanced electronic systems to enable drivers to locate their cars. There are also long-term car parks for 4,356 vehicles, a parking area for 48 buses, a section for 651 taxis, a space for 1,243 rental cars, and 9,123 parking spaces for airport employees.

Other facilities include a 4-star, 120-room hotel for transit passengers, a firefighting and rescue station, two integrated information centers connected with fiber optic cables, a 9,327-meter-long service tunnel and a 46-km-long service corridor linking all load centers.

There will also be an aircraft fuel farm with tanks and a distribution network, ground services and maintenance buildings, a nursery for airport landscaping works, and a 36.5-km road network, including several tunnels and bridges.

The new airport will be able to serve 70 aircraft at the same time. There will be temporary aircraft parking spaces located around the terminal complex to accommodate 28 aircraft. Fuel and water will be supplied through underground pipes.

A feature of the new airport is the architecture, which combines elements of Arab and Islamic designs. There will be green spaces around and inside the terminal complex. There is currently construction taking place on a park over 18,000 square meters, with a 14-meter-high and 10-meter-wide aquarium.

Some of the environment-friendly features at the airport include the use of treated wastewater for irrigation and toilets, energy saving lighting in the airport terminals and airfield instead of halogen to reduce thermal emissions, with a 20-year lifespan.

The new KAIA project has also been an opportunity for the government to train new Saudi graduate engineers across all engineering disciplines. The aim is to skill them for their chosen jobs.

The current terminals in the south and north will gradually be phased out. The South Terminal, or Saudi Airlines Terminal, will be transformed into a cargo facility.

The Haj and Umrah terminals complex will remain in place because upgrades were completed in 2009. This means the complex will be able to handle the predicted rise in passengers over the next 20 years.

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