Plans for the development of Riyadh’s future King Salman International Airport are proceeding apace.
King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC), the subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) tasked with the massive airport project, announced on August 20, 2024, that it had signed contracts with four major contractors in the fields of design, engineering, construction and air traffic management.
The four selected strategic partners are a mix of local and renowned international firms.
A-List architect firm Foster+Partners will be tasked with designing the airport’s master plan.
Two other international firms will be involved in the design and implementation of the master plan design, including the layout of the runways – namely Jacobs, which will provide engineering advice, and Mace, in the field of construction.
A Saudi firm, Nera, will in turn supervise the design of operational and airspace management aspects of the project.
The new King Salman International Airport is in fact a thorough redevelopment of the existing King Khalid International Airport (RUH). It is to be built on the same location but on a much larger scale, covering an area of some 57 square kilometers and boasting six runways plus new terminals.
The Saudi capital’s new airport is one of the flagship projects of the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ program, which will see investments of up to $100 billion in transportation infrastructure throughout the country.