AlUla, March 5, 2021, SPA -- The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) announced on Thursday the approval by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to start receiving international flights at AlUla International Airport. This comes after AlUla Airport experienced several development projects that included the comprehensive expansion carried out by RCU, to become the 5th largest airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a total area estimated at 2.4 million square meters. RCU has worked to triple the airport’s capacity, and it can now receive 15 commercial flights at the same time. The capacity has increased from 100,000 passengers to 400,000 passengers per year. The development of AlUla Airport is a key element of RCU's strategy to elevate AlUla to become a global destination for heritage, culture, history, and natural tourism, and to enhance its strategic role, to become an important logistical center in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The strategy also aims to attract two million visitors every year to AlUla and contribute to raising the Kingdom's GDP by SR120 million by 2035. --SPA 01:30 LOCAL TIME 22:30 GMT 0002 www.spa.gov.sa/w1515586