The list of teams prequalified to bid for the build-transfer-operate (BTO) contract for Taif International airport in Mecca is due to be published by the end of February, according to a source familiar with the project.

The tender will be released during the first half of the year, and an award is expected before the end of 2016.

The announcement of the prequalified consortiums was expected to happen at the end of August 2015, but the review has taken longer than expected.

The request for prequalification (RFQ) floated in the first half of 2015 is understood to have generated significant interest from consortiums that comprise the largest construction companies in the kingdom, international airport operators and regional and local banks.

“A full-scale concession project like this is rare in this region, which explains the strong appetite from construction firms, investors and operators,” the source tells MEED.

The Taif airport will be the second to be developed as a full-fledged public-private partnership (PPP) in the kingdom. The terminal is planned to handle 5 million passengers annually, with a scope to increase this to up to 8 million in the future.

The first airport project delivered on a PPP model in Saudi Arabia became fully operational in June. The $1.2bn Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz airport in Medina was completed on time by Tibah, which comprises Turkey’s TAV Airports and local contracting firms Saudi Oger and Al-Rajhi Holdings.

The planned Taif airport will complement Mecca’s King Abdulaziz International airport (KAIA), which is also currently undergoing an $8.2bn expansion to eventually handle up to 80 million passengers a year, and replace the existing domestic airport in Taif.

The chosen PPP partner for the new Taif airport will operate and maintain the existing domestic airport until the completion of the new one. The Washington-based World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) is lead adviser for the project.