Acting VP Commercial at Riyadh Airports Company (RAC) Abdulaziz Al-Asaker has told TRBusiness that King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) ‘will not accept [anything] less than best-in-class outlets and shops at Terminals 3 and 4′.

Speaking to TRBusiness recently in a trade exclusive video interview, Al-Asaker said travellers to the terminals – which are currently undergoing refurbishment and due to soft-open later this year – will be treated to a commercial ‘masterpiece’.

Last year, RAC invited bids for commercial units at Terminal’s 3 and 4 after issuing a request for proposals that includes retail units spanning travel essentials, gifts, fashion & accessories and electronics, and is now in the awarding phase (TRBusiness aims to bring you further updates in due course).

In the full, exclusive interview available to view below, Al-Asaker notes the ‘challenging’ target of positioning the Kingdom’s aviation sector as the number one in the Middle East by serving 330 million passengers annually by 2030.

It is a target, he explains, that the country is well equipped to achieve through its Aviation Strategy aligned to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

“During the pandemic RAC did a lot of studies on how to contribute to the Aviation Strategy and we are in implementation [phase]. Terminals 3 and 4 will increase traffic and demand when they open.”