RIYADH - (AFP) - Saudi Arabia announced Monday a plan to build a new airport in Riyadh, aiming to spur rapid growth in the capital while furthering the kingdom's ambitious goals in the aviation sector as it seeks to compete with more experienced regional capitals in the field of air transport.

And the airport, which is supposed to accommodate 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million passengers by 2050, will bear the name of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (86 years), according to his son, the crown prince.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the airport "will contribute to supporting the Kingdom's plans to make Riyadh among the ten largest city economies in the world, and to keep pace with the continuous growth in the population of the capital, Riyadh, which aims to reach between 15 and 20 million people by 2030."

The city's population is currently less than eight million people.

The kingdom's aviation sector goals, part of the "Vision 2030" reforms launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, include increasing annual traffic more than threefold to 330 million passengers by the end of the decade.

Saudi Arabia would also like to attract $100 billion in investment into this sector by 2030, establish a new national carrier, and transport up to five million tons of cargo each year.

The agency said that the new airport will handle up to 3.5 million tons of cargo by 2050, making Riyadh "a gateway to the world, a global destination for transport, trade and tourism, and a bridge linking East and West, which establishes the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub."

No information was available about the cost of the project, which was designed to cover 57 square kilometers.

King Salman International Airport places "sustainability among its priorities," according to the agency, as it aims to obtain a platinum "LEED" certificate for environmentally friendly projects, and it will be supported by renewable energy resources.

The Kingdom's busiest international airport is currently located in the coastal city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, which is the "gateway to Mecca" for millions of Muslims who perform the Hajj and Umrah rituals.

But officials have tried in recent years to position Riyadh as a competitor to Dubai and Doha.