The air base was commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior in November 2010 as a base of operations for the Border Guards to patrol the country's southern border.[1][2] It is part of a proposed network of air bases that would serve as transport, logistical support and evacuation centers for the Border Guards.[2] The base is under construction in the vast Rub' al Khali desert about 43 kilometres (27 mi) from the Yemeni border by the Abdullah A. M. Al-Khodari Sons Company. The first phase of the project was completed for SR 86.3 million.[1] The second phase was commissioned in August 2011 at a cost of SR 120.7 million.[3]