According to the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, the country aims to turn its airport operators into holding companies and transfer them to its Public Investment Fund (PIF), with the goal of privatizing some of them in the future.
Abdulaziz al-Duailej said that Abha International Airport is currently being put on “the privatization path” and is going through final technical and economic studies. He also indicated that airports in Taif and Qassim are being considered for privatization and that requests to invest in the Kingdom’s aviation sector are being considered.
The Kingdom’s 22 airports will be reorganized into airport holding companies that will be in charge of construction, operation, and management. They’ll then be transferred to the Public Investment Fund (PIF), where they’ll be placed on the market at a later date.