JEDDAH — The new King Abdul Aziz international Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will have its grand opening in May 2018, just in time for the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Aug. 19.

According to Abdul Hakim Al-Tamimi, head of the General authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), the airport’s initial opening and pilot operations will comment in May, reports Arab News. Calling it a “mega project”, he said the airport will boast 810,000 square metres of terminals, 200 counters and 80 self-service counters. It will also be able to receive 70 aircraft simultaneously to the terminal and 28 on the tarmac.”

“Air transport is the preferred method for pilgrims of Umrah and Hajj, both from inside and outside the Kingdom. The number of Hajj pilgrims arriving by air in 2017 reached 1,648,906, while the number of Umrah pilgrims arriving by air in 2017 reached 5,664,208,” Al-Tamimi said.