Construction has begun on a third runway at Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport (KSIA) by a team of Spain’s FCC Construcción SA and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Mabani General Contractors.
The 4,200m-long third runway will increase the airport’s operational capacity to allow 85 aircraft movements an hour, up from 65.
It has been designed for Riyadh’s wind patterns to allow safe and efficient take offs and landings.
Marco Mejia, acting chief executive of KSIA, said the project “reflects our commitment to developing world-class infrastructure capable of supporting future growth”.
KSIA is being developed on the site of the current King Khalid International Airport, which it will replace. The master plan was designed by Foster + Partners, with Bechtel and Mace acting as delivery partners.
The airport is due to be completed in 2030, covering 57 sq km. It’s designed to handle 100 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of cargo a year. Also planned are 12 sq km of residential, recreational and retail space.
When finished, it will be the world’s fourth largest airport by area after King Fahd International in Saudi Arabia and Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth in the US.
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