
Bechtel to lead expansion of Saudi Arabia's King Salman International Airport
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel today signed an agreement with the King Salman International Airport Development Company to serve as the delivery partner for three new terminals at King Salman International Airport (KSIA) in Riyadh. Signed during President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, the agreement highlights growing U.S.-Saudi infrastructure ties and builds on Bechtel's experience delivering more than 300 projects in Saudi Arabia, including the recently opened Riyadh Metro.
The airport, expected to be the world's largest when it opens in the coming decade, is a pillar of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 that will serve as an economic engine for Riyadh and the surrounding region.
"The King Salman International Airport is a landmark project that will reshape Riyadh and enhance the lives and communities it serves," said Darren Mort, President of Bechtel's Infrastructure Business. "Bechtel's award-winning aviation team has delivered some of the world's largest and most complex airports, incorporating innovative and sustainable solutions. We look forward to partnering with the King Salman International Airport Development Company to bring their vision of a world-class passenger experience to life."
When completed, the KSIA will operate six parallel runways and handle an anticipated capacity of 185 million passengers and 3.5 million tons of cargo annually by 2050. The new terminals will support economic growth in Riyadh and the surrounding region, while enhancing global connectivity and delivering a world-class passenger experience.
Bechtel will work with the King Salman International Airport Development Company to manage delivery of a terminal for commercial carriers, Terminal 6 for low-cost carriers, and a new private aviation terminal with hangars. The project team will prioritize achieving LEED Platinum certification by integrating innovative sustainable practices into the design and construction of all three terminals. The terminals will absorb or replace all existing facilities of the King Khalid International Airport.
Bechtel is an industry-leading engineering, project management and construction management services firm that has delivered airport projects around the world, including Hamad International Airport in Qatar, Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, London City Airport in the U.K., and Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in Australia.
About Bechtel
Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction, and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs; grown economies; improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure; increased access to energy, resources, and vital services; and made the world a safer, cleaner place.
Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security & Environmental markets.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Million-plus pilgrims begin Haj under the blazing sun
More than a million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the Haj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the holy Kaaba — the black cube at the heart of Makkah's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site. State media reported that others had begun arriving in the sprawling tent city of Mina on the holy city of Makkah's outskirts where they will stay overnight before the hajj's high-point on Thursday — prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mouhammad (peace be upon him) is believed to have delivered his final sermon. About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. Authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C (125.2F). On Wednesday, pilgrims will perform the tawaf — walking seven times around the Kaaba, which Muslims pray towards each day. Before entering Makkah, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality. Women, in turn, wear loose dresses, also white, exposing just their faces and hands. Pilgrims arriving on buses had begun already trickling into Mina on Tuesday afternoon, greeted by staff offering them coffee and dates. "I am so happy, it's such an amazing feeling," said Reem Al Shogre, a 35-year-old Saudi performing the pilgrimage for the first time. - Artificial intelligence - Following last year's lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection. Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah told AFP last week. Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds. Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Large crowds at the hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the "stoning the devil" ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest Haj disaster. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the Haj and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.


Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Food rescue, drone tree planting startups win awards at Sustainable Impact Challenge
A company that rescues imperfect fruits and vegetables and a startup that uses drones to plant trees received top honours at the Sustainable Impact Challenge. Organised by Majra — National CSR Fund, the challenge picked projects with the maximum impact and gave away Dh600,000 to winners to continue their work. The first prize went to Herogo which was awarded Dh300,000. The initiative collects fruits and vegetables that are too big, too small or don't meet the requirements to be sold at supermarkets and delivers them to UAE residents at a discounted rate in an effort to reduce food waste. Buyers can save up to 30 percent of their grocery bills by subscribing to a Herogo box. 'It's a platform that is empowering millions of people to access affordable and healthy meal while fighting food waste,' said Daniel Solomon, founder of the company. 'In 2024 alone, we rescued over 400,000kg of fruits and vegetables from going to the landfill. That's about 1 million CO2 saved from nutritious food.' He added that with the prize, the company will be expanding its reach to reach more homes in the UAE and other Gulf countries. Recognition Majra is a UAE federal government entity dedicated to supporting the private sector in amplifying their impact in the space of CSR, ESG and sustainability. The Sustainable Impact Challenge identifies and celebrates outstanding CSR initiatives led by private sector companies, third-sector organisations, universities, and other institutions. The initiative saw a total of 228 entries, of which 100 were selected by an internal committee. These were then whittled down to the top 20 projects which were on display at the SEE Institute at Dubai Sustainable City. Each of the 20 projects were given a surprise cash award of Dh20,000 each during the announcement ceremony. According to Sarah Shaw, CEO of Majra, the projects were selected based on specific factors. 'These 20 projects are more capable at scaling and creating bigger impact if they scale,' she said. 'We want to give visibility to projects that are really impactful, and we give the verified impact stamp to those projects. We're limiting social washing and greenwashing in the nation to really support private sectors' contributions.' Other winners The second place in the competition went to online tutoring firm Thiqa Education's 'One Dirham makes an impact' initiative. The firm donates Dh1 for every tutoring hour that is purchased from them to educational initiatives. 'In May we delivered more than 3,000 tutoring hours so we will donate more than Dh3,000,' said Hamdan Karmustaji, co-founder and CFO of the company. 'With this prize money, we are aiming to expand our impact to reach more people to create our pre-recorded lessons and sessions platform that will reach the targeted audience. Our vision is to make education accessible to everyone and everyone.' The third prize of Dh100,000 was won by Distant Imagery Solutions for their 'Rooted in Innovation' project that has been transforming mangrove planting in the UAE and internationally. With the prize money, the company is going to launch an initiative in Tonga. 'They've had a lot of tsunamis recently, and the areas behind the mangroves suffered the least because the mangroves really broke the surge,' said Cory Rhodes, co-founder of the company. 'We're we're going to work with them to co-develop and design the tech to figure out exactly how we need to tweak it. Then we're going to teach the communities how to build everything and maintain it and operate it and then leave them with all of the tools that they need so that the project is sustainable in the long term.' Ajman University received a special mention and Dh50,000 cash award for their project of getting students to plant mangrove trees. 'We have had over 1200 volunteers planting 3500 trees and 45 percent of our volunteers were below the age of 18,' said Maya Haddad, sustainability manager at the university. 'We get school children with us from schools that are underprivileged. Usually, they don't have access to inclusive, sustainable education that is hands-on, and this is a great opportunity for them.'


Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep Haj pilgrims safe
Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have harnessed artificial intelligence to help manage the million-strong sea of pilgrims during the Haj. The technology has proven pivotal to track the overwhelming amount of footage from more than 15,000 cameras in and around the holy city of Makkah. The systems are tuned to spot abnormal crowd movements or predict bottlenecks in foot traffic —a potential life-saver at a packed event with a history of deadly stampedes. Software is also used to help guide more than 20,000 buses deployed to transport pilgrims between holy sites during one of the world's biggest annual religious gatherings. It is all part of the tech arsenal that Saudi Arabia is deploying as 1.4 million faithful from across the globe descend on Makkah and its surrounds. "In our traffic control room, we use specialised cameras that have AI layers to analyse movements, crowded areas" and predict behaviours, said Mohamed Nazier, chief executive officer for the General Transport Centre at the Royal Commission for Makkah. The centre has a main control room in Makkah filled with screens and maps, where staff use high-tech tools including AI for round-the-clock monitoring. About a dozen staff members sit in rows before desktop computers with a large display at the front, zooming in on crowd movements around the holy sites. On hillsides nearby, cameras that resemble little white robots film buildings, roads and pathways along the Haj route, which winds more than 20 kilometres between Makkah and Mount Arafat. Nazier said the constant monitoring is aimed at averting traffic collisions with pedestrians on crowded routes while also making sure there are buses available to minimise walking time in the desert heat. 'Our eye on the ground' It is a decade since the hajj suffered its worst disaster, a stampede that killed up to 2,300 people during the "stoning of the devil" ritual. Hundreds also died in stampedes in 2006, 1998 and 1994. In 1990, 1,426 pilgrims were trampled to death or asphyxiated when a tunnel ventilation system failed. With its cutting-edge technology, "the control room is our eye on the ground," said Mohammed Al Qarni, who oversees the Haj and the year-round umrah pilgrimage at the transport centre. Artificial intelligence helps to determine "the flow on the (roads to the holy sites), and detects emergency situations even before they occur", he told AFP, adding that the technology can help assess the number of people in a single place. Cameras and AI can estimate if a site has reached maximum capacity, allowing authorities to divert the flow of pilgrims, Qarni said. During the holy month of Ramadan this year, the system spotted when the Grand Mosque had reached full capacity. "The flow to the Haram (Grand Mosque) was stopped and the process controlled," he said. Thermal imaging The use of advanced technology extends beyond logistics, also tracking unregistered pilgrims, who accounted for most of the 1,301 deaths in sweltering conditions last year. As temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) last year, unauthorised worshippers who lack access to air-conditioned tents and buses bore the brunt. Temperatures are forecast to top 40C this week. The Haj , one of the five pillars of Islam, must be completed by all Muslims with the means at least once. Yet not everyone is able to secure or afford one of the official permits, which are allocated to countries by quota and awarded to individuals by lottery. To try to stop anyone sneaking in this year, a fleet of camera-equipped drones is monitoring entrances into Makkah "We use artificial intelligence and other tools like drones and thermal imaging cameras," the director general of public security, Lieutenant General Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Bassami, told reporters. Meanwhile, the Saudi Special Forces for Roads Security said it was using "smart thermal imaging" to monitor the perimeter of Makkah and the holy sites.