Okaz newspaper

For years, plans for the construction of an airport in Qunfudah were lost in the process of government paperwork and each time there was some hope for it to see the light of day, something happened and the project was delayed again.

The people of Qunfudah kept their hopes alive and despite all the obstacles that they faced along the way, they continued to push forward. The General Authority for Civil Aviation, GACA, was the main obstacle regarding the establishment of this airport. The excuse was that Qunfudah was located near Al-Baha and people could use that airport.

However, the people of Qunfudah argued that they were located in Makkah Province and that there was a desperate need for a regional airport to serve the people of Qunfudah and the nearby cities and villages in the coastal region.

It was then said that there was no site available to build an airport. Again the people of Qunfudah said that this was not an obstacle because they promised to provide a suitable site for the airport.

The issue continued to go back and forth and it seemed that there was really no hope that it would ever be resolved, until the Emir of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal visited the region. He was the soldier who took control and managed to get approval for the project. Prince Khaled has now laid the foundation stone and in two years the airport will be open and ready to receive travelers.

There are many projects for which citizens have high hopes only to see those hopes fade away. But any project undertaken by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will for sure see the light of day.