A key airport primarily to serve pilgrims to Makkah has received the go-ahead, following the allocation of state-owned land for the project, said a media report.

The emir of Makkah Prince Khaled Al Faisal and Minister of Finance Muhammad Al Jadaan signed an agreement to allocate land for implementing the Al Faisaliah airport project at a ceremony held in Jeddah, according to the Saudi Gazette.

The land has been allocated in the Al Faisaliah City project, which will be constructed over a 2,450-sq-km area in the western part of Makkah, extending from the Makkah Haram boundary to the Red Sea coast of Al Shuaiba in the west.

The new airport will be linked to Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport in collaboration with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the report said.

Another agreement was also signed sealing the partnership and kick-starting work on Al-Faisaliah after the completion of studies and designs for the project.

Meanwhile, Ihsan Bafakih, governor of the Real Estate General Authority, and Fahd Al Sudairi, CEO of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), signed an agreement granting SEC the right to use the Al-Faisaliah site for a 2,600-MW solar project that aims to provide power to around 340,000 homes.

This agreement is in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and within the framework of efforts to diversify the energy sources.

The Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, through its the Office of Renewable Energy Projects Development, will carry out preparatory technical studies for the entire project, which will be implemented in phases, of which 600 MW project will be tendered this year.

This project will provide clean energy, reduce carbon emissions of more than four million tons annually, and create investment and industrial opportunities that will generate 3,000 to 4,000 construction jobs and 150 to 200 operational jobs.

Al Faisaliah City project is expected to provide one million jobs in different sectors including health, education, technology and services. The project will also include a port and will also house all government authorities in Makkah. Several tourism and entertainment projects will be established on Al-Faisaliah waterfront.

The Makkah Region Development Authority (MRDA) will oversee the project, which will have an independent management, said the report.

The project would include an Islamic centre within the first phase of Al-Faisaliah project, which includes the complex of government departments, the waterfront, the logistics area, the diplomatic quarters and development of Allaith Road, it added.