APA Issue 4, 2021
LUXURY AND SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability and the environment are a top priority at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea airport project where daa International has been awarded the contract to operate the new airport on completion, writes Curtis Grad.
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n entirely different class of airport is being built on the remote Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, one that will be fully dedicated to an ultra-luxury resort – now under construction.
The exclusive gateway is situated on the doorstep of more than 90-plus pristine islands, 75% of which will remain undeveloped, while nine have been designated as areas of special conservation interest. Led by The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), this ambitious $237 million greenfield airport development in Umluj includes an initial phase with 3,000 hotel rooms, recreational facilities and residential properties being built to serve its first guests on completion of the new airport. The destination will be powered with 100% renewable energy at all times, generated by solar and wind. The largest battery storage facility in the world will guarantee supply at night. VIP vacationers can expect no less than a private sanctuary, full of indulgent experiences, tailored for each visitor. All of that will begin at the airport, so the customer experience will have to be above and beyond anything seen at a typical gateway.
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TRSDC is a closed joint-stock company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, with assets of $430 billion at the time of writing. It has awarded daa International, a subsidiary of Irish airport operator daa, the contract to operate the new Red Sea International Airport (RSIA). Daa, of course, runs Ireland’s Dublin and Cork airports and together with another subsidiary, travel retailer Aer Rianta International (ARI), ensures that the daa Group has extensive global experience, including in the Middle East. At Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, for example, daa International has run Terminal 5 on behalf of Riyadh Airports Company since it was opened in May 2016. A record 26 million passengers passed through the airport in 2019. According to daa International, it has developed a “customised, passenger-centric operating model for T5”. It also manages the car parks and works with Riyadh Airports Company on route development and sustainability. Undoubtedly, these factors were important in choosing daa International for the Rea Sea project where customisation, passenger focus as well as route marketing and environmental considerations are all top priorities.
