Saudis seek growth partnerships

Saudi Arabia is the biggest economy in the Middle East, with 25 per cent of regional gross domestic product. The energy-rich kingdom is committed to an extensive aviation infrastructure expansion programme, with SAR5 billion (USD1.3 billion) of the national budget allocated for airport development in 2009 alone.

There are three international and 27 regional or domestic airports in Saudi Arabia under the overall control of the state-run General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The three international airports are: King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in the capital Riyadh; King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah; and King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) in Dammam.

The Saudi airport sector has attracted involvement from several foreign planning and design consultants, from Netherlands Airport Consultants (masterplans for 13 airports including KFIA and KKIA, plus a previous masterplan for KAIA), to the engineering subsidiary of French airport operator Aéroports de Paris, ADPi (design contract for KAIA) and Germany's Dorsch (masterplan for an upgrade of Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina to international standard).

GACA has also awarded airport management concessions to Fraport Saudi Arabia, a subsidiary of German operator Fraport, and to Changi Airports International (CAI) of Singapore. Fraport Saudi Arabia manages KKIA and KAIA under separate six-year concessions agreed in 2008, while CAI manages KFIA under an SGD65 million (USD46 million) contract signed in November that year.