The new King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah will be ready to receive passengers next year with a soft opening scheduled in May 2018, said a report.

The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) chairman Abdul Hakim bin Mohammed Al-Tamimi announced the soft opening of the new milestone during a forum themed “Role of Transportation in Regional Development”, said a report in Arab News.

He said that the King Abdul Aziz International Airport was a mega project which “includes 810,000-sq-m of terminals. It also includes 200 counters designed for completion of travel procedures and 80 self-service counters as well."

The new airport will be able to accomodate 70 aircraft at a time connected to the terminal as well as 28 aircraft on the tarmac. It will also be able to handle 30 million Haj and Umrah pilgrims, the report said.

Tamimi said the new Taif International Airport will work as a backup to the new King Abdulaziz International Airport.