The aviation arm of French consultancy Egis Group has won the contract to provide Saudi Arabian Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Flyadeal operational readiness and transfer (ORAT) services for their move to the new terminal at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International airport.

Egis will provide the two airlines project planning services all the way to post-opening support, according to a local media report.

Egis is expected to carry out a gap analysis and assessment of Saudia’s current status and readiness in terms of the new terminal’s people, process and information technology (IT) systems.

The new terminal, which has a capacity to accommodate 30 million passengers a year and has 46 gates, is expected to start commercial operations in early 2018.

The existing terminal has a capacity to handle 13 million passengers annually.

Two contracts worth a combined $7.2bn for the construction of the new terminal was awarded to local Saudi Binladin Group in 2010.

In June, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) awarded Singapore’s Changi Airports International with a 20-year contract to operate and manage (O&M) the new terminal.

The contract will require Egis to work closely with Saudia’s project management office and all the airport stakeholders including Gaca, Changi Airports International, Saudi Binladin Group and construction manager Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah.

Jeddah airport, the country’s busiest, handled an estimated 31.15 million passengers in 2016, over 414,000 tonnes of cargo and over 226,000 flights.