King Salman International Airport has appointed British engineering consultancy Mace as lead consultant for its mega King Salman International Airport project, located in Saudi capital Riyadh. Its scope of work includes project management, design management, cost consultancy and procurement.

 

On completion, the King Salman International will be the world’s largest airport project spread over a sprawling 57-km area with six parallel runways. It will also include existing terminals at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in addition to 12 sq km of airport support facilities and other logistics real estate.

 

Mace has extensive experience in airport design and construction, with a proven track record of delivering large-scale and complex projects worldwide. It had worked on London’s Heathrow Airport for over 30 years.

 

Last year, the UK group was signed up as the delivery partner on three major infrastructure improvement projects in Heathrow. 

 

For the giant airport project, Saudi authorities had signed up a host of top global players in the airport construction sector. The masterplan for the airport was designed by British architect Foster+Partners, while US-based company Jacobs handled the infrastructure design.

 

Earlier, Saudi Press Agency had reported that Saudi Arabia was planning to invest $100 billion in its aviation sector in a bid to achieve its target of tripling the annual passenger traffic into the kingdom to 330 million by 2030. It also aims to increase air cargo traffic to 4.5 million tonnes

 

Unveiling the airport's masterplan in 2022, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund), said it was part of PIF’s strategy aimed at unlocking the capabilities of promising sectors to enhance KSA’s efforts in diversifying the economy. 

 

With sustainability at its core, the new airport will achieve LEED Platinum certification by incorporating cutting-edge green initiatives into its design and will be powered by renewable energy, 

 

It is expected to contribute SR27 billion ($7.18 billion) annually to Saudi Arabia’s non-oil gross domestic product, he added.

 

According to SPA, the construction of the airport is expected to take about 10 years to complete, with the first phase set to open in 2027.

 

The new airport will also have a dedicated terminal for the country’s national carrier, Saudia. The large size of the airport and its multiple runways will allow for a high volume of air traffic and efficient operations.

 

The mega King Salman International Airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and once fully operation, it will boast a capacity of 185 million passengers by 2050 annually.