JEDDAH: The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) has denied recent media reports that the contract to develop and modernize Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) has been awarded to a Saudi company.
"The report carried by some local media that GACA has signed the contract is untrue. On the contrary, GACA is currently evaluating applications submitted by local and international bidders for the two separate contracts to develop KAIA," said GACA spokesman Khaled Al-Khaibary.
The project, which is the largest expansion work ever undertaken at the airport, aims to expand and refurbish the airport to receive 30 million travelers each year, said Al-Khaibary. KAIA, which opened in 1981 and is 19 km north of Jeddah, has the fourth largest airport lounge in the world with a capacity to receive 50,000 pilgrims a day. Al-Khaibary stressed the importance of expansion work at KAIA, which serves as the gateway to the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
The new development work includes the construction of a passenger lounge with 42 gates, improvement of the airport's main runways, taxiways, runway lighting systems, hangars and IT infrastructure, and reconstruction of its air traffic control towers which will be equipped with advanced navigation systems. The development will also include the construction of a railway station for fast trains so that pilgrims and other passengers can board trains to Makkah and Madinah directly from the airport. There will also be ordinary train services to the city, he added. "Tenders were received two weeks ago and they are currently being examined from the financial and technical angles," he said. He added that GACA will announce the winning companies as soon as the selection procedure is complete.
The expansion of KAIA, which is part of a plan to modernize Saudi airports, is expected to cost SR4 billion.
Meanwhile, plans to develop Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah were announced last week. With the end of the first phase scheduled for 2014, the airport's capacity is predicted to be increased to eight million passengers annually. By 2022, the capacity is expected to increase to 12 million passengers annually.
By GALAL FAKKAR
© Arab News 2010
