Anyone who has travelled abroad will know some airports are huge, but a new travel hub being built in Saudi Arabia may blow them all out of the water. Set to open in 2030, this new airport is expected to cost a reported £23 billion to build. With its 6 huge runways and lavish terminal, it’s not hard to see why.
King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, will become the biggest airport in the world when it eventually opens. It will span a huge 57 square kilometres, with 12 square kilometres of this designated for retail.
Fosters and Partners are designing the airport. The new travel hub will also create 150,00 jobs across the logistics and commercial sectors.
All of this will welcome 120 million passengers a year, and could even increase to 185 million by 2050.
The Saudi Press Agency said in a statement: “The airport project is in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision to transform Riyadh to be among the top ten city economies in the world and to support the growth of Riyadh’s population to 15–20 million people by 2030.”
As things stand, Saudi Arabia is already home to the world’s biggest airport – Dammam Airport.
Saudi Arabia is carrying out a number of ambitious projects as part of its 2030 vision.
Construction has already started on what will be the world’s largest building, also in Riyadh.
The Mukaab will be so big that it would be able to fit 20 Empire State Buidings inside of it.
The name means “cube” in Arabic, and the building will be located in downtown Riyadh.
It will stand at an impressive 1,300 ft high and 1,2000 ft wide. It will also be comprised of 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, 1 million square feet of office space and 2 million square feet for retail.
Also inside the building will be a theatre and a university.