https://arab.news/6k5em
- Delivery partner Mace has decades of experience at London’s Heathrow, Europe’s largest airport
- King Salman International Airport expected to serve 120m passengers in its opening year in 2030
London: UK construction firm Mace will serve as the delivery partner for Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport, expected to be the world’s largest airport following its 2030 opening.
A variety of international firms competed for the contract since last year, with Mace winning the bid, the Middle East Economic Digest reported on Thursday.
The firm will offer project and design management, cost consulting and procurement information.
It has considerable experience in airport construction and maintenance, including a 30-year contract covering London’s Heathrow Airport, the largest in Europe.
Last year, Mace was appointed delivery partner for three major improvement projects at Heathrow.
A bid to design the master plan for Riyadh’s KSIA was won by UK-based Foster + Partners. The airport’s buildings will be designed by the British firm, while US-based company Jacobs will design infrastructure.
With a planned size of 57 sq. km, KSIA will contain six parallel runways. The airport will also subsume existing terminals belonging to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, which opened in 1983.
The KSIA project is expected to be completed by 2030, accommodating up to 120 million passengers in its opening year, making it the world’s largest operating airport by passenger capacity.
By 2050, KSIA authorities are targeting 185 million passengers and 3.5 million tonnes of cargo annually.
The Saudi government plans to invest $100 billion in the aviation sector, boosting air connections from the Kingdom to more than 250 destinations worldwide.