Ninety express interest for Taif airport PPP

13 February 2025

Some 90 firms have expressed interest in bidding for a contract to develop and operate a new international airport in Taif in the kingdom’s Mecca province.

Saudi Arabia’s Matarat Holding, through the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), invited firms to express interest in bidding for the contract in early December.

The international and local firms that expressed their interest are: 

  • Abdul Ali Al-Ajmi Company (local)
  • Abrdn Investcorp Infrastructure Investments (UK)
  • Aeroporti Di Roma (Italy)
  • Algihaz Holding (local)
  • Al-Jaber Contracting (local)
  • Al-Modon Al-Arabia Company (local)
  • Al-Rashid Trading & Contracting Company (local)
  • Al-Sharif Contracting & Commercial Development (local)
  • Al-Yamama Company for Trading & Contracting (local)
  • Al-Ayuni Investment & Contracting Company (local)
  • Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)
  • Almabani General Contractors (local)
  • Almansouryah Company General Contracting (local)
  • AlMozaini Real Estate (local)
  • Almutlaq Real Estate Investment Company (local)
  • Alternative Resources Investment 
  • Annasban Group (local)
  • Asyad Holding Company (local)
  • AVIC-KDN Airport Engineering (China)
  • Bangalore International Airport (India)
  • Binladin International (local)
  • Bouygues Batiment (France)
  • CACC International Engineering 
  • China Harbour Engineering Company (China)
  • Surbana Consultants (Singapore)
  • Buna Al-Khaleej Contracting (local)
  • China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation (China)
  • China Railway Construction Corporation (China)
  • Clavrix (US) 
  • Consolidated Contractors Company (Greece)
  • Contrax International (UAE)
  • Corporacion America Airports (Luxembourg)
  • Currie & Brown (UK)
  • DAA International (Dublin Airport Authority, Ireland)
  • Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Shair & Partners, Lebanon) 
  • DG Jones & Partners (UAE)
  • EB Cornerstone (UK)
  • Edgenta Arabia (Malaysia)
  • Egis Project (France)
  • Enzar Company for Operation & Maintenance (local)
  • Erada Advanced Projects (local)
  • EXP Arabia (Canada)
  • FAS Energy (local)
  • Ghesa Ingeniera Technologia (Spain)
  • GMR Airports (India)
  • Gulf Investment Corporation (Kuwait)
  • Haji Abdullah AliReza & Company (local)
  • IC Ictas (Turkiye)
  • Indiza Airport Management (South Africa)
  • Innovative Contractors for Advanced Dimensions (ICAD, local)
  • International Energy (local)
  • Kalyon Insaat (Turkiye)
  • Kolin Insaat (Turkiye)
  • Korea Airports Corporation (South Korea)
  • Koushan Real Estate Development Company (local)
  • Lamar Holding (local)
  • Limak Insaat (Turkiye)
  • Lynx Contracting Company (local)
  • Mada International Holding Company (local)
  • Makyol Insaat (local)
  • Manchester Airport Group (UK)
  • Middle East Tasks (local)
  • Modern Airports (local)
  • Mota-Engil (Portugal)
  • Mowah Company (local)
  • Munich Airport International (Germany)
  • Namaya Investment Company (local)
  • Nasser Abdullah Abu Sarhad (local)
  • National Transportation Solution Company (local)
  • Nesma & Partners (local)
  • Nesma Company (local)
  • Pini Group (Switzerland)
  • Ports Projects Management & Development Company (local)
  • Salso & Associates (Greece)
  • Samsung C&T Corporation (South Korea) 
  • Sarh Developments (local)
  • Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Company (local)
  • Saudi Binladin Group (local)
  • Saudi Building Technic Maintenance Company (local)
  • Skilled Engineers Contracting (local)
  • Sumou Real Estate Company (local)
  • Tamasuk Holding Company (local)
  • Tatweer Buildings Company (local)
  • Tav Airports Holding (Turkiye)
  • Technical Development Company for Contracting (local)
  • Terminal Yapi Ve Ticaret (Turkiye) 
  • Vantage Group (Australia)
  • Vision International Investment Company (local)
  • WCT International (Malaysia)
  • Zamil Group (local)

The new Taif International airport will be located 21 kilometres southeast of the existing Taif airport, with a capacity to accommodate 2.5 million passengers by 2030.

The clients opted for a 30-year build-transfer-operate (BTO) contract model, including the construction period.

In addition to a new airport terminal, the proposed design features a runway with a full-length parallel taxiway connecting to a single commercial apron.

The scope includes facility buildings, utility networks, car parks and access roads, as well as provisions for additional expansions to meet future subsystem requirements.

The new Taif International airport is expected to meet the projected increase in demand by 2055 and contribute to the economic development of Taif city and its surrounding areas, in line with the kingdom’s National Aviation Strategy.

It is also expected to meet the needs of Umrah pilgrims as a viable alternative within the region’s multi-airport system, which includes King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina and Prince Abdulmohsen Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Yanbu.

Other airport PPPs

In addition to the Taif International project, three other airports comprise the first stage of Saudi Arabia’s latest plan to modernise and privatise its international and domestic airports.

The other planned airport public-private partnership (PPP) schemes are in Abha, Hail and Qassim.

Matarat and NCP recently tendered the contract to develop and operate a new passenger terminal building and related facilities at Abha International airport. They expect to receive bids by April.

Located in Asir province, the first phase of the Abha International airport PPP project is set for completion in 2028. It will increase the airport terminal area from 10,500 square metres (sq m) to 65,000 sq m. 

The contract scope includes a new rapid-exit taxiway on the current runway, a new apron to serve the new terminal, access roads to the new terminal building and a new car park area. The scope also includes support facilities such as an electrical substation expansion and a new sewage treatment plant.

The transaction advisory team for the client on the Abha airport PPP scheme comprises UK-headquartered Deloitte and Ashurst as financial and legal advisers, respectively, and ALG as technical adviser.

Previous tenders

The Taif, Hail and Qassim airport schemes were previously tendered and awarded as PPP projects using a BTO model.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) awarded the contracts to develop four airport PPP projects to two separate consortiums in 2017.

A team of Tukey’s TAV Airports and the local Al-Rajhi Holding Group won the 30-year concession agreement to build, transfer and operate airport passenger terminals in Yanbu, Qassim and Hail.

A second team, comprising Lebanon’s Consolidated Contractors Company, Germany’s Munich Airport International and local firm Asyad Group, won the BTO contract to develop Taif International airport.

However, these projects stalled following the restructuring of the kingdom’s aviation sector.

Saudi Arabia has already privatised airports, including the $1.2bn Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International airport in Medina, which was developed as a PPP and opened in 2015.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13391497/main.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo
Related Articles
  • Egypt signs $420m Gabal El-Zeit wind agreements

    10 June 2026

    Egypt has signed agreements worth $420m for the investment, operation and power purchase of the 580MW Gabal El-Zeit wind power complex in the Red Sea region.

    Gabal El-Zeit 1 has a capacity of 240MW, while Gabal El-Zeit 2 and 3 have capacities of 220MW and 120MW, respectively.

    The agreements were signed between Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) and Dubai-based Alcazar Energy.

    Under the agreements, Alcazar Energy will invest in, operate and manage the farms through a project company established under Egyptian law.

    The company will be responsible for technical operations, maintenance and efficiency upgrades while maintaining a minimum capacity of 580MW throughout the contract period.

    The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company will purchase the electricity generated by the plant.

    The agreements follow earlier efforts to privatise the Gabal El-Zeit wind complex, involving a deal with UK-headquartered private equity firm Actis.

    According to the Egyptian government, the project supports the country’s state ownership policy and national energy strategy, which aim to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 45%.

    The Gabal El-Zeit area on Egypt’s Red Sea coast is one of the country’s most established wind power development zones. The latest Gabal El-Zeit wind farm was completed in 2014, according to MEED Projects data. Germany’s Siemens Gamesa was the main contractor. 


    > Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17170360/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Majid Al-Futtaim awards $545m Ghaf Woods contract to ECC

    10 June 2026

    Majid Al-Futtaim Properties has appointed Engineering Contracting Company (ECC) as the main contractor for the Capria East, Capria West and Maravelle Residences developments at its Ghaf Woods community in Dubai, in a deal valued at AED2bn ($545m).

    The contract covers the construction of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and duplex residences across the two Capria clusters.

    The award adds to a series of major construction contracts Majid Al-Futtaim has issued across its Dubai communities in recent years.

    In May, local contractor Al-Sahel Contracting was awarded a AED700m contract for the Distrikt development, also at Ghaf Woods.

    In 2024, Majid Al-Futtaim awarded AED3bn in contracts for its Tilal Al-Ghaf community, appointing Innovo Build to build 94 waterfront villas at Elysian Mansions and United Engineering Construction (Unec) to deliver 130 villas at the Alaya development.


    > Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17170744/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • Saudi Arabia and Turkiye sign railway agreements

    10 June 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the railway and logistics sectors, advancing Riyadh’s ambitions to become a global logistics hub.

    Transport and Logistics Services Minister Saleh Al-Jasser and Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu signed the agreements at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh on 9 June, following ministerial talks held with a high-level Turkish delegation. Transport General Authority president Fawaz Al-Sahli and officials from the kingdom’s transport and logistics sector were also present.

    Agreement scope

    The first MoU covers logistics services and operations, including the exchange of expertise, policies and regulations. The second focuses on railway technologies, signalling and communication systems, railway digitalisation, human capacity development, the localisation of the railway industry and measures to reduce the sector’s environmental impact.

    More broadly, the agreements cover cooperation on railway standards and related innovations, the exchange of expertise on the design, operation and maintenance of rail projects, and engineering, infrastructure and safety standards.

    The two sides will also cooperate on research and development, with provision for joint workforce training through specialist railway academies.

    Riyadh said the agreements will help support its National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services and Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to position the kingdom as a logistics bridge connecting three continents.

    Turkish projects

    Turkish contractors have already established themselves as key players in the region’s rail sector. In 2012, Yapi Merkezi secured a $2.1bn contract for work on the Haramain high-speed rail network in Saudi Arabia, while Turkish firms Mapa and Limak are leading the ongoing civil works on Dubai’s $5.5bn Metro Blue Line project as part of a China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) consortium. Turkish consultancy Proyapi Muhendislik ve Musavirlik Anonim Sirketi has also won design contracts for the 111km Kuwait National Rail Road project.

    The agreements signed by Saudi Arabia and Turkiye may also give momentum to longstanding discussions around a rail corridor linking the GCC with Turkiye. The route, which has been discussed for years, has gained renewed impetus in recent months as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed regional governments to accelerate the development of overland trade alternatives.


    READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17169958/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Joint venture tenders Algeria field development contract

    10 June 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Hassi Bir Rekaiz Group (GHBR), which operates Algeria’s Hassi Bir Rekaiz field, has issued a tender for phase 2A of the asset’s field development project.

    GHBR is a joint venture of Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach and Thailand’s national exploration and production company PTTEP.

    The scope of the contract focuses on the “provision of engineering and supervision services”, according to documents published by Sonatrach.

    The tender has been issued with a bid deadline of 16 June 2026.

    In May, GHBR signed a $1.1bn contract for phase two of the Hassi Bir Rekaiz development project.

    The contract was won by a consortium of Egypt’s Petrojet and Italian engineering and contracting company Arkad.

    Petrojet’s portion of the project was estimated to be worth around $600m, and Arkad’s portion was estimated to be worth $500m.

    The contract used the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning model.

    The scope of the project contract is focused on the construction of a central processing facility (CPF) capable of processing crude oil and associated gas.

    It also includes developing off-plot pipelines, as well as related utilities and infrastructure.

    The CPF will have the capacity to process 32,000 barrels a day (b/d) and will be designed to support future expansions.

    The related infrastructure will include an extensive pipeline network spanning approximately 217 kilometres, as well as a road network.


    READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17163750/main3325.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Algeria extends deadline for urea-formaldehyde project

    10 June 2026

     

    Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach has extended the bid deadline for a project to develop a new concentrated urea-formaldehyde unit in its Arzew industrial zone.

    The latest bid deadline is 15 June.  

    The contract uses the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning model, and the bid deadline for technical tender submissions was originally set for early April.

    The condensed urea-formaldehyde unit will be located at the CP1-Z facility.

    The CP1-Z facility began operations in 1975 and has a capacity of 152,000 tonnes a year. It produces products including methanol, resin and formol.

    It is a two-phase tender. The first phase is a technical bid submission, and the second phase is a commercial bid submission.

    To be eligible to win this contract, companies must specialise in petrochemical industrial installation projects.

    They also need to have a share capital of at least $7m and more than 15 years of relevant experience.

    The new unit, UFC85, will have the capacity to produce 40,000 metric tonnes of concentrated and condensed urea-formaldehyde annually.

    The project’s scope also includes the development of auxiliary equipment and installations.

    Urea-formaldehyde has a wide range of uses, including the production of laminates, textiles and paper.

    In the wood industry, it is used as a thermosetting adhesive to bond wood to create plywood and particleboard. In agriculture, urea-formaldehyde is widely used as a slow-release fertiliser.


    READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17163657/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp