Once complete, the King Salman International Airport will herald a new age for Saudi Arabia’s aviation ecosystem, and further open the country’s doors to the world. The ambitious infrastructure project, built around Riyadh’s current airport, is poised to become one of the largest aviation hubs in the world.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s newly launched, flag-carrying airline, Riyadh Air, will be calling the state-of-the-art airport home. Taking to the skies from 2025, Riyadh Air will allow increasing numbers of tourists to sample the sights and experiences the Kingdom has to offer. By 2030, the airline expects to be flying to over 100 destinations around the world.
The scope of these two endeavors is justified. Boeing expects Middle-Eastern airlines’ fleets to more than double by 2042. While IATA predicts that worldwide passenger traffic is also expected to double by 2040 from 2019, to 8 billion passengers, growing at an annual average rate of 3.4%.