Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has awarded design and engineering contracts for a private aircraft terminal at AlUla International Airport to French engineering consultancy Egis.

Egis said in a press statement it has been appointed by RCU to undertake several projects related to the development of the Private Aircraft Terminal, known as a Fixed Based Operator or FBO, at AlUla's International Airport.

The scope of work is divided into two components: first, the expansion of the existing hangar to provide the necessary storage, maintenance and operations space, and second, the development of a new purpose-built FBO Terminal building.

Egis will provide architectural design and engineering package for detailed design, airside design and airport operation support services, construction and turnover support services, infrastructure and landscaping design, airfield geometry and master planning, gradings, airfield lighting, markings, and signage.

The French firm had previously worked on a new airport hangar for private aircraft at Alula airport.  Built in line with clean energy standards, the 3,000 square metre hangar, which started operations in November 2022, is equipped with ground flight and engineering crews and can also provide long-term parking services.

AlUla International Airport, and its development, is a key element in RCU’s strategy to position AlUla as a premier global tourism destination for history, heritage, culture, and ecotourism, and achieve its strategic goal of boosting annual visitor numbers to more than two million people by 2035.

“The expansion of infrastructure at AlUla’s International Airport is ongoing and in keeping with the pace of development that has transformed AlUla into a unique destination for visitors from around the world. The first and last thing private plane passengers experience during their visit to AlUla, is the FBO Terminal that will be built to the highest standards as part of our ongoing collaborations with Egis," said Amr Almadani, CEO of RCU.

Over the past two years, Egis has been actively involved in the development of AlUla's infrastructure in multiple areas including environmental and consulting work.

In October 2022, an Egis-led consortium had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RCU for the infrastructure development of AlUla project.

(Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)