DAA wins contract for Riyadh airport

State-owned Dublin Airport Authority’s (DAA) international subsidiary has won a multi-million euro contract to manage and operate the new Terminal 5 facility at Saudi Arabia’s King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh.

Daa International will operate the new 106,500 sq metre terminal, which has a capacity of up to 12 million domestic passengers per year, ahead of five other international airport operators.

KKIA, which is located 35 km north of Riyadh, is Saudi Arabia’s main gateway airport, with a record 22.3 million passengers last year.

“daa International is delighted to have won this highly significant contract at King Khaled International Airport and we look forward to providing a fantastic travel experience for passengers,” said chief executive Colm Moran.

“This is daa International’s first airport management contract and our intention is to build on this win by adding further significant contracts in the months and years ahead,” Mr Moran added.

The contract, which is for an initial period of five years, comprises all terminal management services within T5. Daa International, which will have a taeam of 15 people on the ground in Riyadh, will also be responsible for managing all third party commercial tenants such as airport retail and car parking within the new terminal complex.

Terminal 5, which is the flagship project of a significant investment by KKIA, is due to open later this year. It will replace Terminal 3 and will handle domestic flights.

The agreement to operate the new terminal in Riyadh is the second major contract award for daa’s overseas businesses in the Middle East in the past two months. In December, daa International’s sister company ARI was awarded a 10-year retail contract at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s new Midfield Terminal.