The affair of hosting the FIFA World Cup is a prestigious one, though it calls for exceptional infrastructure for the accommodation of millions of visitors, athletes, officials, and media from different corners of the world. Among all the things, an airport can be considered the most crucial component of that infrastructure. Saudi Arabia has made great efforts towards the modernization of airports. There are still massive concerns that the present airport infrastructure could not support the number of visitors who would arrive in Saudi Arabia for the FIFA World Cup 2034. This explains why Saudi Arabia’s airport capacity may not be quite suitable for the hosting tournament.
Visitor Influx
Saudi Arabia has much more area land and aims to host on an even grander scale. Thus, it would expect several international visitors to be far higher. However, this demand would not be manageable by Saudi Arabia’s current airports. Yet their capacities stand nowhere in comparison to a global mega-hub. Such an influx would eventually lead to congestion and delays along with an unhappy visitor experience.
Existing Airport Infrastructural Constraints
It is laudable that King Abdulaziz International Airport is being expanded while a new Red Sea International Airport is under development. These may not be adequately prepared to meet the complex logistics of the World Cup.
Passenger Handling Capacity: As an example, King Abdulaziz International Airport, having a passenger handling capacity of approximately 30 million passengers per annum, sees the peak during such events as being overwhelming to the facility.
Terminal Congestion: Peaking hours seriously cause congestion in terminals, especially with long lines at immigration and security checks while some minor inconveniences in the baggage handling system.
Airports and Runways and Aprons Capacity: With a finite number of aerodromes and slots available to aircraft, charter flights, transport for teams, and increased private jets during the championship period would be exerting strain on such capacity.
Problems of Regional Connectivity
Another problem is that it has huge geographical expanse and city locations. Visitors could cover the entire nation of Qatar in under an hour as the country is compact. Huge distances between cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam are there in Saudi Arabia; thus, air connectivity needs to be robust.
Scarce Domestic Flight Capacity: Airports in the smaller towns could not handle additional traffic at all. Passengers arriving in match locations away from main hubs would find their destinations inaccessible. Saudi Arabia spans over 2.1 million square kilometers, making efficient air connectivity crucial for transporting visitors between distant match venues.
Transit Load: Transit hubs, like Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, will come under pressure and get clogged and delayed at connecting points.
Comparisons with Previous Hosts
Analyzing the airport capacities of previous World Cup hosts highlights Saudi Arabia’s challenges:
Qatar (2022): Hamad International Airport in Doha, with a capacity of 58 million passengers per year, underwent significant upgrades and introduced temporary facilities to handle the event’s demands. Despite this, many fans reported overcrowding and long delays.
Russia (2018): With a vast land, Russia used over a dozen airports, with the major ones being Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports which already had huge capacities for passengers and continued development.
Saudi Arabia, in its investment, cannot even take the time to raise all its airports to a level that would make their journey without hassle for World Cup participants.
Over-Reliance on Future Projects
While Saudi Arabia is embarking on numerous large airport expansions, including an ambitious new King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, much of the work is under construction or still in earlier stages of development. Anything dependent on these future expansions carries inherent risks:
The potential for construction delays: Large-scale infrastructure projects regularly experience delays due to matters of logistics, finance, or engineering. Any of these developments would threaten hosting the World Cup efficiently enough.
Testing and Operational Readiness: New or expanded airports need to be tested and put through operational tests to determine whether they can handle the peak demands of the event. These airports may not be able to handle the demands without preparation time.
Environmental and Logistical Issues
Airport expansion and increased air traffic also bring environmental and logistical issues that could impact Saudi Arabia’s suitability as a World Cup host:
Carbon Footprint: The increase in flights during the World Cup will add a significant carbon footprint to the aviation sector of Saudi Arabia, which is bound to raise environmental sustainability issues.
Logistical Coordination: The influx of fans, athletes, and officials at multiple airports calls for coordination among airlines, airport authorities, and government agencies. Any lapse in coordination may lead to chaos and blemish the reputation of the country.
Experience of Fans at Risk
An airport experience usually is the first and last impression that a visitor will have of a host country. Crowded terminals, long waits, and transportation delays may mar fans’ experiences and overshadow the rest of the positive event experience. This could be a huge disappointment for Saudi Arabia, especially since its government plans to use the World Cup as a platform for promoting tourism and cultural experiences.
Effect on Day-to-Day Air Traffic
It would divert considerable resources away from managing tournament-related flights, which would impact normal air travel by residents and businesses. This will, in turn, have some economic implications, particularly for Saudi Arabia, as the country is positioning itself to become a global business center. The FIFA World Cup typically results in a 30-40% increase in air traffic for the host nation, straining existing airport infrastructure.
Conclusion
Saudi Arabia needs to make some strong proactive moves to resolve these problems to avoid creating an un-optimal experience for the fans, athletes, and officials, thereby devaluating the global prestige of the FIFA World Cup.
