Riyadh’s $100bn mega-hub project marks early construction milestone as terminal build-out continues towards 2030
King Salman International Airport has completed Phase Zero of the Private Aviation Terminal Apron, the airport’s development company said on July 14, marking an early construction milestone at the Riyadh mega-hub project.
The airport, being developed on a 57 sq km site north of Riyadh around the existing King Khalid International Airport, said the milestone supports its operational readiness and enables more efficient and flexible operations as work continues across the wider site.
King Salman International Airport (KSIA) is designed around six runways and nine terminals, including an iconic terminal, a royal terminal, a commercial airline terminal, a dedicated private aviation terminal and a cargo terminal, with construction under the King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC), a Public Investment Fund entity. Bechtel holds the executive partnership to deliver the commercial airline terminal, Terminal 6 and the private aviation terminal, including aircraft maintenance facilities.
The airport is targeting capacity for 100mn passengers a year by 2030, rising to 185mn passengers and 3.5mn tonnes of cargo annually by 2050, as Saudi Arabia builds out aviation infrastructure ahead of Expo 2030 Riyadh and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Why it matters for the trade
Private aviation infrastructure is often a leading indicator of a hub’s ambitions for high-value corporate, VIP and charter traffic, and its early completion at KSIA signals the project is sequencing beyond the headline runway and terminal packages to build out the full spectrum of aviation services. For business aviation operators, FBOs and luxury travel providers with an eye on the Saudi market, apron capacity coming online ahead of the main terminal openings suggests private and VIP flight access to Riyadh could be operational well before the wider passenger network reaches its 2030 targets, an early entry point worth tracking as KSIADC moves through its parallel procurement tracks.