Related Articles

• 
  Bahrain’s economy walks precarious path

  26 November 2025

  Download the PDF

  

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  MEED’s December 2025 report on Bahrain includes:

  > COMMENT: Manama pursues reform amid strain
  > GVT & ECONOMY: Bahrain’s cautious economic evolution
  > BANKING: Mergers loom over Bahrain’s banking system
  > OIL & GAS: Bahrain remains in pursuit of hydrocarbon resources
  > POWER & WATER: Bahrain advances utility reform
  > CONSTRUCTION: Bahrain construction faces major slowdown
  > TRANSPORT: Air Asia aviation deal boosts connectivity

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  MEED Editorial
• 
  Rua Al-Madinah signs hotel operations agreement

  26 November 2025

  Saudi Arabia’s Rua Al-Madinah, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary tasked with Medina’s tourism and cultural development, has signed a hotel operations and management agreement with Adeera Hospitality for its Rua Al-Madinah project.

  Adeera Hospitality, which PIF also backs, will operate two buildings comprising 250 hotel rooms and 120 residential units under its Alia brand within the Rua Al-Madinah project, which is being developed near the Prophet’s Mosque.

  Adeera joins Rua Al-Madinah’s roster of hotel operators, which includes leading global hospitality brands such as Marriott, Hyatt, Accor and Hilton.

  The Rua Al-Madinah development includes the construction of 18 hotels under three categories – three-star, four-star and five-star – as well as secondary infrastructure.

  The towers will range in height from 11 to 21 storeys.

  Rua Al-Madinah estimates that superblock five will require 430,000 cubic metres of concrete, 875,000 square metres of block wall, 423,000 sq m of drywall, 74,000 tonnes of steel rebar, 215,000 sq m of tiles, and 228,000 sq m of facades, curtain walls and windows.

  The hotels, which will mainly provide accommodation for pilgrims visiting the holy city, will have a built-up area of about 65,000 sq m.

  In February last year, the client awarded two contracts worth SR300m ($80m) to international consulting firms for work on the superblocks four and five components of the Rua Al-Madinah project.

  Rua Al-Madinah signed a contract with US-based engineering firm Jacobs for design consultancy services for 12 hotels and other infrastructure for superblock four of the project.

  Another contract was signed with US-based KEO International Consultants to oversee the implementation of the superblock five project.

  Other consultants working on superblock five include US-based Perkins Eastman and Singapore-based Meinhardt. 

  UAE-based Ema Design is the interior designer.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Meraas confirms $517m The Acres villas contract award

  26 November 2025

  Dubai-based real estate developer Meraas, now part of Dubai Holding Group, has confirmed that it has awarded a AED1.9bn ($517m) contract to build 642 three-, four- and five-bedroom villas as part of the first phase of its residential community, The Acres, in Dubailand.

  The contract was awarded to the local firm United Engineering Construction Company.

  MEED exclusively reported in August that Meraas had awarded the contract for the project.

  The Acres project is designed by local architectural practice U+A Architects.

  The masterplan includes 1,200 villas ranging from three to seven bedrooms.

  It also features a nursery, school, clinic, mosques, clubhouses, a retail zone, a 2,000-square-metre garden, walking and biking trails, an outdoor gym, children’s playgrounds, swimming pools and sports facilities.

  The latest announcement follows Meraas awarding a AED440m ($120m) contract for the construction of the Northline residential project in the Al-Wasl area of Dubai.

  The contract was awarded to the local GCC Contracting Company.

  The project includes the construction of three residential buildings. Construction work is expected to begin shortly, and the project is slated for completion by 2027.

  Meraas’ latest project contract awards in Dubai are backed by heightened real estate activity in the UAE’s construction market. Schemes worth over $323bn are in the execution or planning stages, according to UK analytics firm GlobalData.

  The company forecasts that the output of the UAE’s construction sector will grow by 4.2% in real terms in 2025, supported by developments in infrastructure, energy and utilities, as well as residential construction projects.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  December deadline for Riyadh airport fourth runway

  26 November 2025

  

   

  King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC) has allowed firms until 3 December to bid for the design-and-build contract for the fourth runway at King Salman International airport (KSIA) in Riyadh.

  The tender was first floated on 17 April. The previous bid submission deadline was 28 October.

  It is understood that the third and fourth runways will add to the two existing runways at Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport, which will eventually become part of KSIA.

  KSIADC, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, prequalified firms in September last year for the main engineering, procurement and construction packages; early and enabling works; specialist systems and integration; specialist systems, materials and equipment; engineering and design; professional services; health, safety, security, environment and wellbeing services; modular installation and prefabrication; local content; and environmental, social, governance and other services.

  The entire scheme is divided into eight assets. These are:

  • Iconic Terminal
  • Terminal 6
  • Private aviation terminal 
  • Central runway and temporary apron
  • Hangars
  • Landside transport
  • Cargo buildings
  • Real estate

  In August last year, KSIADC confirmed it had signed up several architectural and design firms for the various elements of the project.

  US-based firm Bechtel Corporation will manage the delivery of three new terminals, including the terminal for commercial carriers, Terminal 6 for low-cost carriers and a new private aviation terminal with hangars.

  Parsons, also of the US, was chosen as the delivery partner for two packages. One covers the airside infrastructure, including the runways, taxiways, air traffic control towers, fuel farms and fire stations. The other involves the infrastructure connecting the airport to the rest of the city, including utilities and roads.

  UK-based Foster+Partners will design the airport’s masterplan, including the terminals, six runways and a multi-asset real estate area.

  US-based engineering firm Jacobs will provide specialist consultancy services for the masterplan and the design of the new runways.

  UK-based engineering firm Mace was appointed as the project’s delivery partner and local firm Nera was awarded the airspace design consultancy contract.

  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.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Chinese contractor appointed for Algerian refinery project

  26 November 2025

  China’s Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Company has signed a contract for the construction of a heavy naphtha catalytic processing unit at the Arzew refinery in Algeria.

  The contract was signed with the Algerian national oil and gas company Sonatrach.

  The contract uses the engineering, procurement, construction and operation model.

  Under the terms of the contract, Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Company will handle the entire project lifecycle, from initial design to long-term management and operation.

  The project will be completed over 30 months, according to a statement from the Algerian Ministry of Hydrocarbons & Mines.

  The unit will have an annual capacity of 738,000 tonnes of heavy naphtha and will enable the refinery to increase gasoline production from 550,000 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes a year.

  Algeria’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons & Mines said this represented “a significant step” that will strengthen the national capacity for gasoline production and help meet demand across various regions, particularly in the west and southwest of the country.

  Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Company is a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), which is listed on stock exchanges in Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York.

  The project is part of Sonatrach’s wider programme to modernise and expand national refining capacities.

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  Wil Crisp