About 60 per cent of the work on Jeddah’s new King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) has been completed and the remaining work will be accelerated to finish the project by the end of the year, said a top official.

Trail operations of the airport would begin in first five months of 2015, Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, was quoted as saying in a report by Arab News.

The SR27 billion ($7.2 billion) expansion project will increase the airport’s annual capacity to 30 million passengers in the first phase and 80 million in the final phase, according to the report.

The 670,00 sq m KAIA is set to be one of the largest hubs in the world with two new terminals for domestic and international passengers.

The project includes passenger lounges, a new concourse building with 25 additional passenger bridges and connector buildings linking the terminals, air bridges and movable gates, extension and overall renovation of the existing South Terminal, apron and taxiway modifications and extensions, electrical and mechanical systems, and a car park, the report said.