King Salman International Airport to open in 2030 (Image: Foster Partners)
Asia’s newest airport will be one of the largest in the world when the £22.5 billion project is completed. King Salman International Airport is currently under development and is expected to be completed and operational by 2030. It will serve Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is being built around the current King Khalid International Airport. First announced for 2022, there is growing excitement over the new project, which is expected to be the size of 14,000 football fields.
The new modern airport was designed by British architects Foster + Partners, who have shared mock-up images of what it will look like after completion. Of the 57 square kilometres, 12 will be dedicated to shopping, while there will be a passenger capacity of 100 million by 2030. King Khalid International Airport has two parallel runways, so six runways indicating a significant expansion in the number of flights the facility can serve upon completion.
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Fake image of King Salman International Airport (Image: Foster Partners)
The estimated cost of this project is currently 30 billion dollars i.e. about 22.5 billion pounds. The terminal overhaul at King Khalid International Airport was completed in 2025, marking a significant milestone in the completion of the airport.
Despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and disruption to air travel in the region, plans for the new airport have not been halted.
Foster + Partners says, “The main terminal strives to replicate the diverse experiences of the city at a human-scale and integrate natural elements. As soon as they step into the terminal, passengers have an immediate sense of their surroundings with multiple views of buildings and visual connections to the outside world.”
“Natural ventilation and climate-controlled lighting efficiently maintain an optimal interior environment all year round. Movement through the terminal is intuitive, with clear way finding and minimal level changes.”
Inside King Salman International Airport (Image: Foster Partners)
The firm adds: “The airport will become a dynamic aerotropolis centered around a seamless customer journey, world-class efficient operations and innovation. The airport’s design will take into account Riyadh’s identity and Saudi culture to ensure a unique travel experience for visitors and transit passengers.
“With sustainability at its core, the new airport will achieve LEED Platinum certification by incorporating cutting-edge green initiatives that take into account both embodied and operational carbon, and will be powered by renewable energy.”
Recently, King Salman International Airport Development Company, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company, officially unveiled the brand identity for King Salman International Airport (KSIA) with the tagline “Your Journey..Your Destination”.
The airport is expected to contribute approximately SAR27 billion per year to Saudi Arabia’s non-oil GDP, which is approximately £5.33 billion.
Bosses said the recent brand launch “marks a new chapter in the airport journey, as development gathers momentum and preparations move forward for a number of major public-facing milestones”.
A press release said, “Rooted in four brand values – humanely inspired, intuitively simple, timelessly innovative and distinctly local – the KSIA identity reflects the project’s ambition to redefine how airports serve passengers and communities.”
