Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) has launched Phase I of Aden International Airport expansion project in Yemen. Under the project, the Aden Airport will be full modernised and expanded and will become a non-stop, world-class hub for international and domestic flights.
The project will be completed in three phases. The initial phase will focus on providing electricity, safety measures, and transportation. The external main gates and roads of the complex will also be studied and redesigned, and passenger transport buses will be provided.
Phase II will involve construction and connecting vital service systems, such as telecommunications, navigation and air traffic control. It also includes rehabilitation of the runway and taxi areas, gates, and tunnels connecting gates to aircraft.
Phase III will include alignment of airport facilities and operations with ICAO standards in all areas, along with safety, electricity supply, interior and exterior infrastructure, air traffic control and navigation.
SDRPY projects and studies director Eng. Hassan Alattas said: “The objective of this project is to bring Aden Airport up to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards as quickly as possible, connect Aden directly to the countries in the region, and increase the airport’s capacity to handle much greater numbers of flights and passengers.
“This will represent a new era in the airport’s history because this facility has never functioned consistently to international standards before. “Our goal is to maximize the benefits of the new air transport hub for the Yemeni people, the brothers and sisters of Saudi Arabia.”
The airport is 6km from the centre of Aden and currently operates six flights per week at very high cost, with all flights regional and none domestic. The project is expected to increase airport capacity and the planned volume of air traffic during 2020.
Alattas added that the project is expected to support the transportation sector in the sisterly Republic of Yemen, serving as an important tributary of the economy and advancing the wheel of development.