The Red Sea International Airport, which is set to serve an estimated one million annual tourists visiting The Red Sea by 2030, is scheduled to open as part of phase one, seeking to be both elegant and environmentally friendly.
In line with The Red Sea Development Company’s (TRSDC) sustainability goals, the new airport has an eco-friendly and sustainable design, led by world-renowned architects Foster + Partners. Its architecture is informed by the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape and represents the overarching vision of The Red Sea Project.
Significant Milestones
To date, over 2,800 people have worked around the clock to deliver the airside works. Strict health and safety rules have been implemented throughout all construction works, resulting in 8 million safe man-hours worked without a Lost Time Injury to date (LTI).
Its architecture will be informed by the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape
The project has passed many significant milestones too, including:
- 11 million m3 of earth balancing works to establish the new Runway Safety Initiative (RSI) airport footprint
- Terminal excavation works (included a total excavation of 280,000 m3)
- 14 km of perimeter secure boundary fence and perimeter road
- 16 km of open channel drain system
- Main Primary Runway – 3.7 km (75 meters width)
- Dedicated Seaplane Runway – 525m (42 meters width)
- Parallel Taxiway – 3.7 km (56 meters width) with four Link Taxiways
- One dedicated isolated parking stand for emergency vehicles
- Contact Stands (a designated area where an aircraft could use a Passenger Boarding Bridge)
- Remote Stands (parking area for aircraft): 12 Seaplane Stands, 12 Business Jet Stands, and three Helipads completed
To date, over 2,800 people have worked around the clock to deliver the airside works
Striving for 100% Renewable Energy
The project has also had its fair share of challenges, not least two years of Covid-19 restrictions, incorporating challenging logistical shipping problems and electronics components shortages on a global scale. TRSDC has had to create ‘workarounds’ for all staff and workers during this period, especially in relation to worldwide and regional lockdowns. The force of nature has had to be contended with too, with 400km of specialist cables having to be replaced in record time due to the original cables being destroyed in extraordinary flash floods in Europe.
The Red Sea International Airport will be powered by 100% renewable solar energy, implement a full prohibition on single-use plastics, and deliver overall net neutrality, to set new norms in sustainable development across design, construction, and operation. The airport will be accessible by 80% of the world’s population in fewer than eight hours of travel.