QUNFUDAH - Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, laid on Wednesday the foundation stone for the airport in Qunfudah. Speaking on the occasion, the emir said that the airport will be operational within two years and nearly half a million people from the coastal regions will benefit from it.

Prince Khaled said the site for the airport was delivered to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and the authority has completed studies with regard to implementation of the project. “The idea of Qunfudah airport began more than 10 years ago. Studies involving 14 sites were carried out until the current location, spreading over 24 million square meters, in north Qunfudah was chosen,” he said. The foundation stone laying ceremony was also attended by Hisham Al-Falih, undersecretary at the Makkah emirate, Jeddah Mayor Saleh Al-Turki, GACA President Abdul Hakeem Al-Tamimi, other officials and citizens of the region.

Al-Tamimi said Qunfudah airport will be the fourth airport in the Makkah region and 28th in the Kingdom. The airport can accommodates half a million passengers annually and handle five flights per hour. The airport is built on an area of about 24 million square meters. It has a passenger lounge with an area of more than 20,340 square meters. The airport can handle five flights per hour. -- SG/SPA