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Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport

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Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport
مطار الأمير محمد بن عبد العزيز الدولي
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGeneral Authority of Civil Aviation
OperatorTAV Airports Holding
ServesMedina Province
LocationMedina, Saudi Arabia
Opened1950; 76 years ago (1950)
Hub forSaudia
Elevation AMSL2,151 ft (656 m)
Coordinates24°33′12″N 039°42′18″E / 24.55333°N 39.70500°E / 24.55333; 39.70500
Websitewww.tibahairports.com
Maps
MED is located in Saudi Arabia
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Location of airport in Saudi Arabia
MED is located in Middle East
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MED (Middle East)
MED is located in West and Central Asia
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MED (West and Central Asia)
MED is located in Asia
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MED (Asia)
MED is located in Eurasia
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MED (Eurasia)
MED is located in Afro-Eurasia
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MED (Afro-Eurasia)
Map
Interactive map of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 14,222 4,335 Asphalt
18/36 10,007 3,050 Asphalt
Statistics (2018)
Passengers8,144,790[1]
Air traffic movements60,665[1]

Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, more commonly known as Medina Airport (IATA: MED, ICAO: OEMA), is an airport located in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The airport accommodates charter international flights during the Hajj and Umrah seasons. Pilgrims may enter Saudi Arabia through this airport or through King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Saudi Arabia and the 18th busiest airport in the Middle East, handling 10,912,802 passengers in 2024. It is named in honor of Mohammad bin Abdulaziz, the first governor of the Medina Province.

History

[edit]
Check-in hall interior
A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 747-300
Parking area of airport

The original airport serving Medina dates back to the 1950s. By 1972, it operated with two runways: 18/36, which remains in use, and 15/33, which has since been decommissioned.[2] Runway 15/33 was closed in 1986. Measuring roughly 8,000 feet, it was later converted into an apron based on historical imagery from Google Earth.[citation needed]

In 2007, the airport was granted international status after a consortium comprising TAV Airports Holding, Saudi Oger Limited, and Alrajhi Holding Group was selected to expand and operate the facility. In October 2011, the group signed a 25-year concession agreement with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to redevelop and run Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport.[citation needed]

This concession represented Saudi Arabia’s first full public-private partnership (PPP) in the aviation sector. The initial construction cost totalled US$1.2 billion, with potential expansions raising the figure to US$1.5 billion. It was the largest transport infrastructure project to close in the GCC region in 2012. Funding came from National Commercial Bank, Arab National Bank, and Saudi British Bank through an Islamic financing structure consisting of a three-year US$436 million commodity Murabaha equity bridge, an 18-year US$719 million procurement facility, and a US$23 million working capital facility, largely denominated in Saudi Riyals (SAR).[3]

The new terminal achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making Medina Airport the first commercial airport terminal in the Middle East and North Africa to achieve a LEED Gold rating.[4] The project also received the Middle East Infrastructure Deal of the Year (2013) from Project Finance International Middle East & Africa Awards,[5] and Best Islamic Finance Project Finance Deal of the Year (2013) from the Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards.[6]

Test operations for the new Medina terminal began on 12 April 2015. A Saudia domestic flight from Riyadh, flight SV1435, landed at 11:00 a.m., becoming the first arrival at the upgraded facility. Flight SV1476 departed at 11:45 a.m., marking the first takeoff.[7]

The new terminal complex was officially inaugurated by King Salman on 2 July 2015.[8] Later that year, the project was named the world’s best airport development at Engineering News-Record's 3rd Annual Global Best Projects Competition, held on 10 September 2015.[5][9] The airport is named after King Abdulaziz’s son, former Crown Prince and first governor of Medina Province, Mohammad bin Abdulaziz.[citation needed]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Air Arabia Alexandria[citation needed]
Air Astana Almaty[10]
AJet Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[citation needed]
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Dhaka[citation needed]
Citilink Seasonal: Makassar[11]
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi[12]
Flynas Abha,[citation needed] Amman–City,[13] Bahrain,[citation needed] Brussels,[14] Cairo,[15] Dubai–International,[citation needed] Giza,[citation needed] Hofuf,[citation needed] Karachi,[citation needed] Pristina (begins 26 October 2026),[16] Riyadh[citation needed]
Garuda Indonesia Seasonal: Yogyakarta–International[17]
IndiGo Hyderabad,[18] Mumbai[19]
Jazeera Airways Seasonal charter: Grozny[20]
Lion Air Seasonal: Medan[citation needed]
Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur–International[21]
Nesma Airlines Hail[citation needed]
Pakistan International Airlines Multan,[22] Sialkot[citation needed]
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[citation needed]
Seasonal Trabzon[23]
Philippine Airlines Seasonal charter: Manila[24]
Qatar Airways Doha[25]
SalamAir Muscat[26]
Saudia Istanbul[citation needed]
SCAT Airlines Seasonal: Almaty[citation needed]
Syrian Air Damascus[27]
Transavia Lyon,[citation needed] Marseille,[citation needed] Paris–Orly,[citation needed] Toulouse[citation needed]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul[28]
Uzbekistan Airways Seasonal: Samarqand[29]

Statistics

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YearsPassengersMovements
2011[30]Increase 3,547,508Increase 32,935
2012[30]Increase 4,588,158Increase 36,499
2013[30]Increase 4,669,181Increase 40,000
2014[30]Increase 5,703,349Increase 48,549
2015[30]Increase 5,831,163Increase 49,031
2016[30]Increase 6,572,787Increase 54,451
2017[1]Increase 7,805,295Increase 58,045
2018[1]Increase 8,144,790Increase 60,665
Source: TAV Investor Relations[31]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 16 March 2001, the airport was the scene of a bloody end to the hijacking of a Russian-based Vnukovo Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 jet bound from Istanbul to Moscow carrying 162 passengers. The hijackers, apparently Chechen separatists, had landed at the airport and had demanded additional fuel to fly to Afghanistan. After 18 hours of no negotiations, Saudi Security forces stormed the plane, bringing an end to the hijack. There were three fatalities, including a hijacker, a Turkish passenger, and a Russian Air stewardess.[32]
  • On 5 January 2014, a Saudia Boeing 767-300, flight SV2841 from Mashhad, Iran made an emergency landing after one of its main landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft was traveling from the Iranian city of Mashhad with 315 passengers on board. 29 people were injured as they exited the aircraft that was in a nose-up position, 11 were taken to hospital, and the rest were treated at the airport's medical center.[33]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "TAV Traffic Results 2018" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  2. ↑ Stranger, Harry. "SpaceFromSpace | Satellite Imagery Archive". SpaceFromSpace.com. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "10 things to know about the Madinah Airport expansion PPP transaction". Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "PressReleaseDetail". Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  5. 1 2 "TAV have constructed the world's best airport | Times Aerospace". Timesaerospace.aero.
  6. ↑ "Banking industry news & analysis of international finance – Euromoney magazine". 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "New Madinah airport test operations begins". Saudi Gazette. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ "King Salman opens mega airport in Madinah". Arab News. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "ENR Announces Winners of 3rd Annual Global Best Projects Competition". Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "Air Astana will launch flights from Almaty to Medina Service From Oct 2024". businesstraveller. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Citilink Hadir di Makassar. Terbang Tanpa Transit". ujastour.id. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Etihad announces magnificent seven new destinations". Etihad Airways. Archived from the original on 16 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  13. ↑ "Saudi Arabia's flynas moves Madinah flights to Amman Marka". ch-aviation.com. 13 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Flynas zorgt voor tweede verbinding met Saudi-Arabië vanuit Brussel". 4 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "flynas launches 4 direct weekly flights between Al Medina and Cairo as of December 2". ZAWYA. 16 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "Flynas to launch second Pristina route". EX-YU Aviation News. 1 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Mulai 12 Agustus 2023, Garuda Indonesia Terbangi YIA-Jeddah dan Madinah". Traveldetik. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "IndiGo Airlines Launching Hyderabad to Madinah Flights". aviationa2z. 16 January 2025.
  19. ↑ Darkunde, Mahesh (22 October 2025). "IndiGo Adds New Flights from Mumbai to One of the Sacred Islam City in the World". Aviation A2Z. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  20. ↑ "Jazeera Airways открывает паломнические рейсы по маршруту Медина - Грозный" (in Russian). Interfax. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Malaysia Airlines to resume Jeddah and Madinah flights from March 4 to 8". nst.com.my. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "pk_jun15.jpg". Historyofpia.com. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Pegasus, Trabzon'dan Orta Doğu'ya Üç Yeni Hat Açacak". Airporthaber2.com. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "PAL TO OPERATE MORE HAJJ FLIGHTS THIS JUNE". Philippine Airlines. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  25. ↑ "Qatar Airways touches down in Abha, 11th connection in Saudi Arabia". The Peninsula. 2 January 2025. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  26. ↑ "Welcome to SalamAir". salamair.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  27. ↑ Wendel, Samuel (4 August 2026). "Syria launching Moscow, Medina flights as aviation momentum builds - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012". www.al-monitor.com. AL-MONITOR. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Suudi Arabistan seferlerini artırıyor | Turizm Ajansı | Turizm Haberleri | Turizm Gazetesi". Turizmsjansı.com. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "As part of the Hajj 2025 program, Air Marakanda operated the first pilgrimage flight to Saudi Arabia". Samarkandairport.com\access-date=22 June 2026.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "TAV Investor Relations". ir.tav.aero.
  31. ↑ "TAV Traffic Results". Tavyatirimciiliskileri.com. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  32. ↑ "Bloody end to Chechen HIjack". BBC News. 16 March 2001. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  33. ↑ "29 injured as Saudia jet makes emergency landing". Gulfnews.com. 5 January 2014.
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