Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (Gaca) has selected US-headquartered Aecom to project manage the expansion of Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport.

The five-year SR270.2m ($72m) contract covers the supervision for the design and expansion of the existing Terminal 3, the currently unused Terminal 4, as well as adding four new concourses – A, B, C and D. The aim of the expansion is to increase the airport’s annual capacity to 24 million passengers from the current 14 million. The work will be mostly carried out by Aecom’s Saudi arm, Aecom Arabia.

Gaca originally invited contractors to bid on the contract in April 2012, with bids submitted in July last year. At least seven firms submitted bids with US’ Parsons International emerging as the low bidder.

Other bidders included South Korean’s Incheon International Airport Corporation, US’ Hill International, US’ Parsons Brinckerhoff, Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah and a consortium of UK’s Halcrow, US’ Ch2M Hill and Bahrain’s Projacs.

King Khalid International airport is located about 35 kilometres north of the capital. The Riyadh scheme is part of Saudi Arabia’s wider plan to increase the capacity of airports throughout the kingdom.

The project will also involve building new aprons. Gaca recently awarded the local Al-Mabani General Contractors an estimated SR219.5m contract to build a new apron at the King Khalid International airport. The work will involve the construction of an apron at Terminal 3 and the future Terminal 4.

Gaca is planning the construction of a new Terminal 5 building at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh. MEED reported in late January that a joint venture between Turkey’s TAV and local firm Al-Arrab Contracting Company won the contract to build the new terminal.