THE General Authority for Civil Aviation (Gaca) has denied media reports that the contract to develop and modernise Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) has been awarded to a Saudi company.

Gaca said that it is currently evaluating applications submitted by local and international bidders for the two separate contracts to develop KAIA. The project is the largest expansion ever undertaken at the airport, aimed at expanding and refurbishing the airport to receive 30 million travellers each year. KAIA serves as the gateway to Makkah and Madinah. The scope of work includes the construction of a passenger lounge with 42 gates, improvement of the main runways, taxiways, hangars, IT infrastructure and reconstruction of its control towers.
Meanwhile, plans to develop Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah have been announced. At the end of the first phase, scheduled for 2014, the airport’s capacity is predicted to be increased to eight million passengers annually.