Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced the offering of Abha, Taif, Qassim, and Hail airports to the private sector, with the first phase starting at Abha International Airport.

The announcement was made by GACA’s President, Abdulaziz Al‑Duailej, during his remarks at a panel discussion titled “Investing in Logistics Infrastructure: Between Joint Financing and Future Opportunities”, the authority revealed in an official press release.

The bids for the privatization of Abha Airport will be decided within the next few months, Al‑Duailej said, noting that 100 companies have already submitted proposals, which are currently under review.

This major privatization project aims to expand Abha Airport’s operational capacity from 1.5 million passengers to 13 million passengers, implemented across three phases.

Al‑Duailej stated the Kingdom’s experience with airport privatization started in 2016 with the privatization of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. He highlighted the significant success achieved, with passenger capacity increasing from 3 million to 8.5 million, and agreements in place to further expand capacity to 18 million.

Moreover, Al‑Duailej emphasized that the partnership between the public and private sectors is built on governance, quality, and regulation from the government side, while the private sector drives financing, design, implementation, and operations.