NEW images have revealed what the world’s biggest airport will eventually look like.
Located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Salman International Airport is set to surpass all other airports in size, including the current biggest airport in the world which is also in the country.
The 22sqm airport will feature six runways – up from two – parallel to each other and will be built around the existing King Khalid International Airport.
It will approximately be the same size as Manhattan in New York – or twice the size of the city of Bath, in the UK.
And now the airport has moved into its construction phase.
The airport will be designed by Foster + Partners, a UK firm which is behind London‘s famous Gherkin.
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Inside, travellers will be able to explore 4.6sqm of shops.
A lot of features in the airport are set to include high tech, such as climate-controlled lighted.
Travellers will have plenty of seating, indoor and outdoor spaces with greenery and vast glass windows, ideal for a bit of plane spotting.
Foster + Partner’s is also developing the Wadi Loop, which will connect the airport to other developments allowing travellers to access different sites more easily.
The airport was announced back in 2022 and is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‘s Saudi Vision 2030 – which is set to make Riyadh into a major hub for transport, trade and tourism.
It will eventually accommodate up to 120million passengers each year, which is then expected to rise to 185million by 2050.
And the number of aircraft takeoffs will rise from 211,000 per year to over one million.
In total, the project is estimated to cost around $30billion (£22.5billion).
Earlier this year, the existing airport revealed a newly-expanded terminal with 38 new check-in counters, 10 self-service kiosks, 26 passport control counters and 10 automated gates.
Terminal 1 also has 24 boarding gates, 40 passport control counters in the arrivals area and 11 self-service gates.
As a result of the expansion, Terminal 1 will be able to handle seven million passengers a year – up from three million.
Saudi Arabia is already home to the world’s largest airport – King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The airport features a large mosque, landscaped gardens and a Royal Terminal dedicated for use of the Saudi royal family, government officials, and VIP guests.
In other airport news, one UK airport has started a massive £60million expansion ahead of new Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 flights.
Plus, these are the best and worst airports in the UK – with regional airport coming in number one.