The local Al-Mabani General Contractors has been awarded an estimated SR219.5m ($58.5m) contract to build a new apron at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (Gaca), the client for the project, received bids from contractors in January for the apron contract. Al-Mabani saw off competition from a joint venture of Turkey’s TAV and local Al-Arrab Contracting, and local firms Unimac, Shibh al-Jazira and Al-Khodari to win the deal. 

The work will involve the construction of an apron at Terminal 3 and the future Terminal 4, which is currently unused. The apron project is part of the overall plans to expand the King Khalid International airport, which will increase the airport’s annual capacity to about 24 million passengers from the current 14 million.

Gaca has invited companies to submit bids for the project management contract for the planned expansion of the airport. Companies have until 10 July to submit bids for the deal.

The expansion scheme will involve renovating the existing Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, as well as adding four new concourses – A, B, C and D.

In August 2008, Gaca signed a consultancy contract with Netherlands Airports Consultants (Naco) for the Riyadh airport expansion. Naco is also carrying out the masterplan for the expansion of airports at Dammam and Abha.

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.

Gaca recently invited contractors to submit bids for a contract to build new aprons at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

Contractors have until 15 July to submit bids for the contract to build Apron 6 and other associated smaller aprons. According to sources in the kingdom, about 12 companies have been invited to participate in the tender. The total area of Apron 6 and other associated works will cover about 250,000 square metres.