The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said Monday that new development projects planned for Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) will create at least 34,000 jobs. The new projects are part of GACA’s plan to develop international and domestic airports into airport cities. A GACA technical team previously visited airports in South Korea, Dubai, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Amsterdam in order to prepare development plans for KAIA. The team found that some of the foreign airports increased their revenue by 50 percent as a result of transforming into airport cities.
New projects planned for KAIA include shopping malls, five star hotels, tourist facilities, exhibition centers, recreation centers, and aviation related factories. GACA has shortlisted several international and domestic companies to implement the new projects, and they have until May 31st to submit their proposals. A GACA statement said “The new airport projects will not only improve services but also increase the authority’s revenues.”