Saudi Arabia has big plans in its attempt to establish itself as a tourist destination. In fact, he is designing one of the largest airports in the world. The King Salman International Airport, to be built in the capital Riyadh, will have at least six parallel runways, allowing 185 million passengers a year by 2050.
Built on top of the current King Khalid International Airport, the new airport will cover 22 square miles and is to be designed by renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners.
In fact, Saudi Arabia is already home to the largest airport in the world. This is King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, 250 miles northeast of Riyadh.
The new airport will include more than 4.5 square miles of retail, leisure and residential facilities, as well as logistics space.
The airport aims to handle 120 million passengers a year by 2030, before its passenger traffic grows by 50% over the next two decades. It is also planned to handle 3.5 million tons of cargo annually by 2050.
Saudi Arabia is spending huge sums of money to create new cities and tourist attractions,” as part of its shift to tourism.
