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Contractors are forming joint ventures to bid for upcoming construction work on the world’s largest airport project, the King Salman International airport (KSIA) scheme in Riyadh.

The project has taken some important steps forward this year. MEED reported in February that UK-based engineering firm Mace had won the delivery partner role on the project.

The project covers an area of about 57 square kilometres, allowing for six parallel runways, and will include the existing terminals at King Khalid International airport (KKIA). It will also include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets and other logistics real estate. It is the largest airport project in the world, according to GlobalData.

If the project is completed on time in 2030, it will become the world’s largest operating airport in terms of passenger capacity.

Project goals

The airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million by 2050. The goal for cargo is to process 3.5 million tonnes a year by 2050.

The project will also include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets and other logistics real estate.

There have been contract awards for construction work at KKIA this year. In June, a joint venture of Turkey’s IC Ictas and the local Al-Rashid Trading & Contracting was awarded the contract to complete the renovation of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The joint venture finished renovating terminals 3 and 4 earlier this year.

Aviation strategy

Saudi Arabia plans to invest $100bn in its aviation sector. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) announced Riyadh’s Saudi Aviation Strategy, which envisages tripling the country’s annual passenger traffic to 330 million travellers by 2030.

It also aims to increase air cargo traffic to 4.5 million tonnes and raise the country’s total air connections to more than 250 destinations.

MEED's April 2024 special report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> GVT & ECONOMY: Saudi Arabia seeks diversification amid regional tensions
> BANKING: Saudi lenders gear up for corporate growth
> UPSTREAM: Aramco spending drawdown to jolt oil projects
> DOWNSTREAM: Master Gas System spending stimulates Saudi downstream sector
> POWER: Riyadh to sustain power spending
> WATER: Growth inevitable for the Saudi water sector
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi gigaprojects propel construction sector
> TRANSPORT: Saudi Arabia’s transport sector offers prospects