The local Al-Arrab Contracting Company has submitted the low bid for the contract to build new aprons at the King Abdulaziz International airport in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) opened bids from eight contractors on 10 October for the estimated $100m deal. The work will involve building apron 6 and other associated smaller aprons and facilities at the Jeddah airport.

The other companies that submitted prices for the tender are:

• Al-Mabani General Contractors (local)
• Nesma & Partners Contracting (local)
• Specialised Contracting Company (local)
• Saudi Binladin Group (local)
• Safari Group (local)
• Assad Said for Contracting Company
• Al-Khodari Contracting

The total area of apron 6 and other associated works will cover about 250,000 square metres. The associated works include taxiways and electro-mechanical systems.

The apron deal is the latest of several construction contracts that have been tendered as part of the scheme to expand the King Abdulaziz International airport. In April, Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) awarded a consortium led by Turkey’s TAV Construction an estimated $800m contract to build its aircraft maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) facility at the Jeddah airport.

The Jeddah airport scheme is one of a number of major airport expansion projects currently under way in the kingdom.

Gaca recently invited prequalified firms to submit proposals for the contract to build the new terminal 5 building at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh.

According to sources in Riyadh, about seven groups have been invited to participate in the tender. The project is being tendered as a design and build package, and the submission date for bids is 17 November. The new terminal 5 is part of Gaca’s significant expansion programme for King Khalid International, which will increase the airport’s annual capacity to about 24 million passengers from the current 14 million.