Turkey’s TAV adds two more airports to its portfolio in Saudi Arabia

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s TAV Airports has announced that it has included the Qassim and Hail airports in Saudi Arabia to its portfolio, which also includes airports in Madinah and Yanbu. 

TAV, with its partner the Al Rajhi Group, will develop the two airports and operate them for 30 years, according to the statement issued on April 24. 

“The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has disclosed that they have selected TAV Airports, in partnership with the Al Rajhi Holding Group, for operating Qassim and Hail International Airports for 30 years. Upon the closing of the selection process, the number of airports operated by TAV worldwide will reach 17 and the company will be operating four airports in Saudi Arabia,” said the company. 

“TAV has become one of the world’s highly-preferred brands thanks to the know-how it acquired in airport construction and operation business. TAV’s success in the Madinah Airport project, which was the first airport privatization project in Saudi Arabia, opened new doors in this country. In the last two months, TAV has been selected by the Civil Aviation Authority of Saudi Arabia for the development and operation of three more airports. With the addition of Qassim and Hail to our portfolio, the number of passengers in Saudi Arabia will increase to 10.5 million per annum and the number of passengers at all airports abroad will reach 25 million.

TAV has its signature in the capital city airports of six countries in the Gulf region, which is the most challenging market in the world. We sustain our growth in the region by working in harmony with our local partners. Furthermore, we continue seizing the opportunities at various regions worldwide,” said TAV Airports President & CEO Sani Şener.

Providing service to approximately 2.5 million passengers last year, Qassim and Hail airports will reach approximately 6.5 million in passenger capacity per year with the new investments, according to the statement. 

TAV has been operating Madinah Airport in Saudi Arabia since 2012. In March, the company was selected for the development and operation of Yanbu Airport. Furthermore, TAV has operations at Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam airports through its service companies.

Located in the center of the Arabian Peninsula, Qassim is one of the 13 administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Qassim Airport is the gateway to the region, where most of the country’s agricultural production takes place, and it is a significant tourism destination. Twelve airlines including Turkish Airlines have launched scheduled flights to the airport.