Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) has put the construction of the $685m King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz airport in Jizan in southwest Saudi Arabia on hold for the second time since the contract was awarded in December 2015.

According to a source with knowledge of the project, the contractor, a joint venture comprising local firms Safari Company, Nassir Hazza and Saudi Lebanese Modern Construction, was notified of the stoppage of work in October – November last year.

The construction first stalled in 2016 based on oil giant Saudi Aramco’s suggestion that the location where the new airport is being built may present an opportunity for oil and gas exploration activity.

A new land not far from the original site was subsequently allocated and the contractor began mobilising for the site preparation in early 2017.

The project entails the construction of a 52,000-square-metre terminal building to accommodate 2.4 million passengers annually. Based on the original plan, the new terminal was expected to be completed this year.

Jizan lies directly north of Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen. The region has often been targeted by Houthi rebels since the beginning of the Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen.