Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) has terminated an agreement to allow a consortium comprising Singapore’s Changi Airports International and Saudi Naval Support Company to manage and operate the new King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The decision comes just 10 months after the award of the concession to the consortium.

In a statement released by Gaca, the authority said: "Following an internal review, Gaca has decided to undertake a new international tendering process for the contract to manage the new King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah. This review raised a number of fundamental concerns that has required Gaca to revisit and terminate the award of the concession to the consortium."

"All actions undertaken by Gaca are in accordance with the terms of the executed concession agreement," it said.

GACA said it would communicate further information on the new tendering process in due course. It also added that the decision would not impact the projected timeline for the new airport, which is scheduled for a soft opening in May 2018.

Changi and its partner, the Saudi Naval Support Company, also confirmed in separate statements that the consortium had received a notice of termination from Gaca. - TradeArabia News Service