Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport — Medina, Saudi Arabia

As the second-holiest city in Islam and burial place of the Prophet Muhammad, Medina depends on Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport (MED) as a critical entry point for millions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims each year. A major terminal expansion, developed through a public-private partnership, substantially increased the airport's handling capacity and was completed in the mid-2010s, incorporating design elements meant to evoke a desert tent structure. MED was among the first airports in Saudi Arabia to be operated under a private concession model, a departure from the fully state-run system used elsewhere in the kingdom at the time. Passenger volumes at the airport surge dramatically during the Hajj season and the fasting month of Ramadan, when pilgrims from across the Muslim world arrive in concentrated waves. Outside those peak periods, MED handles a steadier flow of domestic Saudi traffic and regional connections.