Muslims around the world will be happy to learn that the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia will soon have an airport of its own, making pilgrimage for millions of believers a little easier.
In a recent interview with Harvard Business Review Arabia—the regional edition of the globally renowned publication—Saleh Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites (RCMC), confirmed that plans for an international airport serving Makkah are underway. He noted that the project’s “strategic, economic and investment directions” have already been approved.
For decades, pilgrims traveling for Hajj or Umrah had to land in Jeddah or Medina before completing the final leg of their journey by road, often dealing with heavy traffic and significant logistical bottlenecks. The introduction of a direct gateway into the holy city signals a significant shift; one that not only streamlines access and saves much-needed time but also reflects the Kingdom’s broader ambition to accommodate rising numbers of pilgrims in the years to come.
The idea of a dedicated metro system within the city was also raised, pointing to a broader, more systemic rethink of how movement in and around Makkah might evolve in the years ahead. In the same interview, Al-Rasheed noted that “feasibility studies and initial designs have been completed and submitted to the relevant authorities,” with the project now progressing through the necessary administrative and regulatory procedures ahead of its potential next phase.
With several projects now in motion across Makkah, expectations are building, yet timelines remain unconfirmed and details scarce when it comes to what these developments will actually look like or when they’ll be ready. We hope we won’t be waiting too long to get a clearer picture of it all.
