Matarat (formerly Saudi Civil Aviation Holding Company) said it has awarded a three-year contract to Egis, a leading multidisciplinary engineering and operations company an international player active in the consulting, construction engineering and mobility service sectors, to provide consulting services for 26 airports in the kingdom.

 

Matarat manages the operation of 27 airports across Saudi Arabia through its subsidiaries (Riyadh Airports, Jeddah Airports, Dammam Airports, and Cluster2), which aims to develop the kingdom's airports and improve their performance to keep pace with the rapid development that the country is currently witnessing. 

 

This comes as a step of establishing phased project management portals, updating airport project management policies and procedures, and providing technical support for planning, designing, and following up the implementation of capital projects with Matarat subsidiaries, said the Saudi group in its statement.

 

The project is designed to provide support for strategic planning in order to define and plan a portfolio of five-year projects, work on the comprehensive plan program for the kingdom's airports, and monitor and follow up the alignment of future projects and program outputs with the strategic and governance objectives of Matarat. 

 

Developing a guide for project management governance by analysing the existing practices of subsidiaries, developing a system of procedures and processes for project programming and comparing to fit in with international best practices, and creating a road map to improve management and monitoring of the implementation of outputs, it added.

 

The agreement was signed by Matarat Holding CEO Mohammed Almaghlouth and Egis CEO (Middle East and South Asia) Alaa AbuSiam at a key ceremony held in capital Riyadh. 

 

Turki Almubadal, Executive Vice President (Projects and Technical Affairs) said: "At Matarat Holding, we are working to provide an attractive environment in Saudi airports for air carriers and passengers, by developing airport infrastructure through best practices to provide the best services at the highest international standards."

 

"All these efforts come to improve the experience of every traveller. This contract focuses on providing support in several major areas and activities, which include strategic planning for projects, building an asset management guide, preparing a unified guide for engineering specifications for designing and implementing projects, and following up on continuous improvement of their performance," stated Almubadal. 

 

"This step will contribute to achieving the objectives of the National Aviation Strategy deriving from the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services as one of the outputs of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to increase international destinations to 250, and passenger capacity to 330 million," he added.

 

On the contract win, AbuSiam said: "The aviation industry has always been one of our key strengths at Egis, both regionally and globally, and as such, we are extremely delighted to be partnering up with Matarat to be part of one of the most transformative projects in the Middle East region."

 

"The kingdom’s strong commitment to the aviation sector as part of its 2030 Vision, will surely transform the country into a global hub connecting Asia, Europe and Africa," he added.

 

According to him, the contract includes designing a practical guide for project implementation, quality control and safety procedures, and the work of a matrix to improve design specifications and standards in alignment with international best practices and environmental and sustainability requirements. 

 

"It also includes monitoring and following up performance by preparing and submitting reports, periodic presentations, project brochures, and support in determining budgets for capital projects. Creating a plan for continuous development by evaluating the performance of projects and lessons learned, and transferring knowledge and expertise in a sustainable and gradual manner to Matarat and its subsidiaries’ staff," he added.

 

Egis, he stated, has been operating in Saudi Arabia for almost 30 years and is currently working on multiple airport projects across the country including those located in Jeddah, Riyadh, AlUla, Amaala, Dammam and more. 

 

It is also supporting the air navigation and airlines sectors in the kingdom (Saudi Air Navigation Services, Saudia, FlyNas).-TradeArabia News Service