Al-Ahsa airport capacity to more than double with faster growth expectations
‘We’re going to move from 100 million passengers in 2019, to 330 million by 2030,’ says CEO
Al-Ahsa Airport capacity will more than double, with the expectations of regional fast growth, the CEO at Dammam Airports Co. said.
Al-Ahsa Airport, situated in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, has a capacity of around 400,000 passengers, but aims to reach 1 million, Fahad Alharbi told Arab News at the Future Aviation Forum held in Riyadh.
The facility is mainly used by Saudi Aramco, but before the pandemic struck there was commercial activity from two or three local destinations, and another two or three international sites.
Speaking of operations during the pandemic, Alharbi said that all airlines stopped.
“Now we’re activating. We’re connected so we are aligned with the tourism strategy. We sat down with them, and we told them, this is what we have, and what is expected to be welcome in Al-Ahsa, or in Al-Qaisumah or even in Dammam,” he said.
On the recovery, the Dammam Airports Co. CEO said they are one of the highest in terms of growth in the aviation sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with recovery percentage returning at 85 percent of 2019 numbers.
“We’re going to move from 100 million passengers in 2019, to 330 million by 2030. We’re going to move from 100 destinations to 250 destinations,” Alharbi said.
“We have more airplanes requested by the country from multiple national players. We have ... a new airline. We have a lot of new developed airports,” he said.
Saudi King Salman issued royal decrees earlier this month that included the establishment of Al-Ahsa Development Authority.
The board of directors for the Al-Ahsa Development Authority was formed on Thursday, to be headed by Prince Ahmed bin Fahd bin Salman, deputy governor of the Eastern Province, Saudi Press Agency reported citing a royal order.
The authority will work to enhance the potential of the governorate while helping in developing the tourism, heritage, and cultural components, according to SPA.
The authority will also contribute to creating a balanced and sustainable development environment that supports the governorate’s economy and
promotes development, modernization and d The region contains prominent archaeological and historical sites — some that date back to 6,000 B.C. — and has achieved three Arab and international accolades in the last four years.
Al-Ahsa Oasis is one of the largest and most famous natural oases in the world, with over 3 million palm trees producing delicious dates. The place is widely considered to have the greenest and most fertile land in Saudi Arabia’s
Eastern Province.
In 2015, Al-Ahsa became the first Gulf city to be included in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Creative Cities Network for crafts and folk art.
Moreover, Al-Ahsa was chosen as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2019 by the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism. Al-Ahsa has also been named as one of the most creative cities in the world for the economic development of its arts and crafts by the world’s heritage body UNESCO.
The city, of 1.3 million people, has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
UNESCO said: “The city has an ancient tradition of handicrafts, considered as both cultural and social practices passed on from one generation to the next. Around 50 expressions of crafts and folk art have remained throughout the city’s history and bear witness to Al-Ahsa’s scenic wealth, including textiles from palm trees, pottery, weaving and joinery.”
We’re going to move from 100 destinations to 250 destinations. Fahad Alharbi
CEO of Dammam Airports Co.