“GACA has completed its work regarding the KAIA project, which will be presented to higher authorities for approval,” Prince Sultan told the meeting. A number of infrastructure projects worth SR1.65 billion have been completed at KAIA, he pointed out.
The new airport will have an initial capacity of 30 million passengers and will receive large planes such as A380s. The airport’s ultimate capacity is estimated at 80 million passengers and 3 million tons of cargo per annum.
According to a previous GACA statement, work on the new airport project was expected to begin by the middle of this year. The authority has distributed prequalification documents for companies to present their offers.
KAIA is the Kingdom’s first international airport, which was established in 1981. Covering an area of 105 square km, KAIA is considered the main gateway of pilgrims coming from all over the world for Haj and Umrah.
Contracts will be awarded to conduct geotechnical and topographic surveys; build tunnels, corridors, train stations, and baggage handling and conveyer systems; provide surveillance, communications and meteorological systems; and build passenger-loading bridges. Airfield works include construction of taxiways, aprons, roads and services and support facilities.
The project involves the design, engineering, supply, furnishing, installation, rehabilitation, construction, testing and commissioning of airfield facilities and related airport infrastructure facilities.
About 51,700 square meters inside the airport will be allocated for concessions while a 6.5 square-km area outside the airport building would be set aside to implement investment projects such as hotels, hospitals, recreation centers, aircraft maintenance facilities and light aviation industries.
The GACA board meeting reviewed a study on the situation of private airlines in the Kingdom and insisted that those airlines should abide by the requirements of commercial operation.
“The study showed that the private airline market in the Kingdom is making steady growth,” said GACA. “It is going to be one of the important markets in the region considering the strength of the Saudi economy,” it added.
An integrated national project for airport security also figured high at the meeting. The project aims to ensure top security and safety at Saudi airports, and acquiring the latest technology. “This electronic security system will be implemented at all airports,” it said.
The meeting also discussed the executive bylaw for the protection of consumers in the civil aviation sector. The law regulates the relationship between passengers and airlines and other service providers. It also reviewed the executive bylaw to ban smoking at airports and the mechanism to impose fines.
The executive bylaw for punishing those involved in illegal activities aboard an aircraft was also discussed. These include attacking passengers and crew members or participating in such criminal activities.
The board members also reviewed a study on restructuring GACA’s information technology sector, the mechanism to evaluate performance of its employees and the economic benefits of the open-sky policy.
