Parsons confirms King Salman International airport deal

15 May 2025

US firm Parsons Corporation has confirmed that it has been appointed as the delivery partner for the airside and landside packages at King Salman International airport (KSIA) in Riyadh.

In an official statement, Parsons said that it has signed two contracts with King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC). 

The first contract covers the airfield assets and includes the runways, taxiways, aircraft parking areas and air traffic control towers.

The second contract includes landside infrastructure packages, including roads, utilities, tunnels, bridges, the rail network and landscaping.

“Parsons will provide project management services for all phases of both contracts, including early development, design, permits and approvals, procurement, construction, commissioning, handover and overall coordination,” the statement added.

MEED exclusively reported in March that KSIADC had appointed delivery partners for Riyadh’s KSIA project.

In addition to Parsons, another US-based firm, Bechtel Corporation, was selected to manage the delivery of three new terminals, including the terminal for commercial carriers, Terminal 6 for low-cost airlines and a new private aviation terminal with hangars.

Delivery partner roles typically involve assisting the project client with developing a project. This includes project management, design management, cost consulting and procurement advice. Delivery partners have been appointed for some of Saudi Arabia’s largest projects. For example, a team of Canada’s AtkinsRealis, Jacobs and Parsons, both US-based, is working as the delivery partner for The Line at Neom.

UK-based architect Foster + Partners won the competition to design the masterplan for KSIA in 2023. Jacobs is doing the engineering work for the project.

Earlier this month, MEED exclusively reported that KSIADC had tendered a contract to develop the first phase of Terminal 6 and the Iconic Terminal of the KSIA project in Riyadh.

The tender notice was issued on 17 April with a submission deadline of 15 May.

The client plans to deliver the package on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis.

The ECI process requires selected contractors to submit methodologies for the project and a design proposal.

Project scale

The project covers an area of about 57 square kilometres (sq km), allowing for six parallel runways, and will include the existing terminals at King Khalid International airport. It will also include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets and other logistics real estate.

If the project is completed on time in 2030, it will become the world’s largest operating airport in terms of passenger capacity, according to UK analytics firm GlobalData.

The airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million by 2050. The goal for cargo is to process 3.5 million tonnes a year by 2050.

Saudi Arabia plans to invest $100bn in its aviation sector. Riyadh’s Saudi Aviation Strategy, announced by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca), aims to triple Saudi Arabia’s annual passenger traffic to 330 million travellers by 2030.

It also aims to increase air cargo traffic to 4.5 million tonnes and raise the country’s total air connections to more than 250 destinations. 


MEED’s April 2025 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> GOVERNMENT: Riyadh takes the diplomatic initiative
> ECONOMY: Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy forges onward
> BANKING:
 Saudi banks work to keep pace with credit expansion
> UPSTREAM: Saudi oil and gas spending to surpass 2024 level
> DOWNSTREAM: Aramco’s recalibrated chemical goals reflect realism
> POWER: Saudi power sector enters busiest year
> WATER: Saudi water contracts set another annual record
> CONSTRUCTION: Reprioritisation underpins Saudi construction
> TRANSPORT: Riyadh pushes ahead with infrastructure development
> DATABANK: Saudi Arabia’s growth trend heads up

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Yasir Iqbal
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