International airport planned in Saudi city of Taif

A proposed new airport in Taif, Saudi Arabia, will now serve as an international airport.

An approval to this effect was given on Sunday by the board of directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

Last year, GACA sources unveiled plans to build the new airport mainly to serve Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. The contract for the airport project is expected to be awarded in the coming months, and it will be developed on a build-operate-transfer basis.

The existing airport, located 30 km east of Taif city and 70 km from Makkah, was converted to a regional airport in 2009 when GACA allowed international airlines to operate at the airport.

The board also gave the go ahead to carry out studies to establish a security company for airports and approved a bylaw for a fund for airports. The board meeting was chaired by GACA President Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The board also endorsed carrying out studies to prepare organizational bylaw for a committee to examine violations in the civil aviation rules. The meeting reviewed reports about converting Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport administration and the air navigation sector into separate companies.

This was first published in the Saudi Gazette.