Two US Firms Snag Contracts for Saudi Arabia Mega-Airport Project

A pair of U.S.-based companies have been awarded key contracts for the estimated $7.2-billion enlargement of The King Salman Worldwide Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which might be the biggest on this planet upon completion.

The King Salman Worldwide Airport Growth Co., (KSIADC), a part of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, introduced supply companion agreements with Bechtel and Parsons on the Saudi-US Funding Discussion board in Riyadh on Could 13. 

“Our firm is continuing in line with schedule to finish numerous government works for buildings and infrastructure, making certain the airport is able to welcome vacationers as quickly as doable,” stated KSIADC Performing CEO Marco Meji.

Supply companion roles have been utilized in lots of Saudi Arabia’s largest tasks and contain aiding the proprietor by means of mission administration, design administration, price consulting and procurement recommendation.

The expanded King Salman Worldwide Airport (KSIA) can be constructed across the present King Khalid Worldwide Airport and canopy 22 sq. miles and embrace six parallel runways. The dominion has focused 2030 for the enlargement’s completion, with the airport having the ability to accommodate 120 million passengers per yr. By 2050, it’s estimated that determine will balloon to 185 million, in line with officers.

The Riyadh infrastructure occasion was attended by President Donald Trump, the place he touted a $600-billion dedication by Saudi Arabia to spend money on america. The investments would embody fields of power safety, protection trade, know-how management and entry to international infrastructure and important minerals.

As a part of the introduced settlement, Bechtel will handle the event of three terminals—a brand new terminal devoted to business airways, a brand new Terminal 6 and a 3rd terminal for personal aviation, which can embrace plane upkeep amenities. The terminals will take up or change all present amenities of the King Khalid Worldwide Airport.

“The KSIA mission represents one of many world’s most distinguished aviation tasks at present underneath growth,” stated Darren Mort, president of Bechtel’s infrastructure enterprise. “We’re delighted to be a part of this inspiring mission and to contribute our earlier expertise from main airports worldwide in realizing the airport’s imaginative and prescient and delivering an distinctive, unprecedented journey expertise globally.”

Parsons was awarded two four-year, supply companion contracts creating crucial airport infrastructure and offering complete mission administration companies. The agency can have duty for design, allowing, procurement, building and commissioning from preliminary planning by means of to last handover, officers stated.

The scope of the contracts contains airside amenities equivalent to runways, taxiways, plane parking areas and air visitors management tower, together with floor infrastructure together with roads, tunnels, bridges, railway networks and landscaping.

Infrastructure Experience

Each Bechtel and Parsons have lengthy data with aviation infrastructure within the Center East. 

Bechtel was designer, mission supervisor and building supervisor for the Dubai Worldwide Airport within the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the King Khalid and King Fahd airports in Saudi Arabia. Parsons has labored on quite a few aviation tasks within the Center East together with Zayed Worldwide Airport and Sharjah Worldwide Airport within the United Arab Emirates, Hamad Worldwide Airport in Qatar, and Kuwait Worldwide Airport

The 2 corporations are the second and third main U.S.-based agency to be concerned with the Riyadh mission. Final yr, 4 design companies, together with U.S.-based Jacobs, signed strategic partnerships to develop the mega-airport. 

Jacobs and U.Okay.-based Foster + Companions are offering idea grasp plan validation, detailed grasp plan design, runway design and different companies. The 2 companies beforehand gained a contest to design the idea grasp plan for the airport. Saudi Arabia-based Mace Group, the supply companion for the mission, will give attention to planning and building schedules. Nera, additionally primarily based within the kingdom, will present technical and operational options for the aviation and air navigation.

The airport enlargement plan was introduced by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2022. The mission is a part of the broader Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030, which goals to diversify Saudi Arabia away from its dependence on oil revenues. 

The plan, launched in 2016, requires making Saudi Arabia a regional logistics hub partially by rising air connectivity to 250 locations and transporting 330 million passengers. Plenty of main airport expansions and new building throughout the dominion have since been unveiled.

The mission is one in every of two mega-airports underneath growth within the Center East. Final yr, Dubai introduced a $35-billion plan to expand the Al Maktoum International Airport over the subsequent ten years. The brand new airport, also called Dubai World Central, would change the present Dubai Worldwide Airport, at present the busiest on this planet for worldwide visitors.

The UAE mission would surpass Saudi Arabia’s effort by increasing the emirate’s second-largest airport to cowl 27 sq miles and embrace 5 parallel runways. The 4 terminals will accommodate 400 gates, thus enabling the power to deal with as much as 260 million passengers and greater than 13 million tons of cargo per yr.