Waste Management At KSIA: MoU With MWAN Drives Sustainable Airport Operations

King Salman International Airport has agreed a new cooperation framework with the National Center for Waste Management to improve waste handling across the future hub. The memorandum of understanding seeks to raise environmental performance, tighten regulatory compliance, and embed integrated waste-management systems throughout the airport’s planning, construction, and long-term operations.

The understanding was signed between King Salman International Airport, a Public Investment Fund company, and the National Center for Waste Management, also known as MWAN. Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley attended the signing, underlining the agreement’s link with the Kingdom’s wider environmental and resource-management directions.

Under the agreement, both parties plan joint technical working teams to oversee detailed implementation. These teams will prepare a phased roadmap covering early design through to operation. The roadmap will address planning integration, data-sharing mechanisms, regulatory checks, and programmes to cut waste volumes and improve sorting and diversion rates.

The partnership also includes exploring innovation opportunities linked to the circular economy, particularly for large aviation and infrastructure projects. This work will look at how materials can be reused, recycled, or recovered. It will also consider technologies and processes suitable for a high-capacity airport, while keeping alignment with national regulations and sector standards.

King Salman International Airport acting chief executive Marco Mejia stated that the MoU represents a pivotal step in embedding sustainability at the core of planning and operations at the airport, expressing his belief that integrated and responsible waste management is a fundamental pillar in developing a future-ready global airport. Mejia linked this approach with long-term operational resilience.

For his part, MWAN Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Al-Sebaei affirmed that the partnership reflects the center’s role in supporting major national projects and advancing the implementation of best practices in waste management and the circular economy, in line with the Kingdom’s environmental directions. Dr. Abdullah Al-Sebaei highlighted knowledge transfer as an important outcome.

The memorandum forms part of broader sustainability measures at King Salman International Airport, including plans to rely on renewable energy sources and pursue net-zero emissions. The airport company states that it is applying recognised resource and waste-management practices to improve environmental outcomes and support its goal of operating as a world-class facility.

King Salman International Airport is described as a strategic national project aimed at supporting Riyadh’s ambition to serve as a global capital and major aviation hub. The development is expected to strengthen international connectivity, attract more airlines, and offer expanded capacity for passengers and cargo across the region.

The airport is being developed on the existing King Khalid International Airport site in Riyadh and will retain the current King Khalid terminals. Plans also include three new terminals, residential and leisure areas, six runways, and extensive logistics facilities across a 57 square kilometre footprint.

By linking large-scale airport expansion with structured waste management and circular-economy planning, the MoU provides a framework for integrating environmental goals into everyday operations. The agreement aligns with national sustainability objectives and is intended to guide how King Salman International Airport manages resources as passenger and cargo volumes grow towards 2030 targets.

With inputs from SPA