Business & Finance Club - Jeddah : Saudi Arabia has handed out five maintenance and operation contracts worth $344m to some of the biggest names in the country’s construction industry.

The biggest deal, worth $76m, was won by Al Jawdah Contracting. The firm will carry out work at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport at Madina, as well as the local airports in Al-Ola, Hail, Tabuk and Al-Wajh.

An alliance between the Saudi Company for Limited Services and the Mohammed Bin Laden Company won a $67m contract to refurbish airports in Yanbu, Al-Baha, Rabigh and Taif. It will also carry out work on the General Authority of Civil Aviation’s headquarters in Jeddah.

Safari Ltd won a $68m deal to work on the airports in Dawadmi, Al Hasa, Qassim, Hafr Al Baten and Wadi Al Dawaser, alongside work at the King Khaled Military City.

Arabian Bemco landed a fourth contract, worth $67m to handle Arar, Turaif, Qurayat, Jouf and Rafha airports.

Elsewhere, Saudi Bin Laden Group Company for Operation and Maintenance picked up a $67m contract to work on airports in Jizan, Bisha, Abha, Najran and Sharroura.

The five-year contracts include areas other than maintenance operations, according to the deputy chairman of GACA, Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad.

“These include cleaning, grassing of airport outside areas, water and spare parts supply, provision of vehicles and equipment and examining systems and the standard of performance,” Prince Fahd said, according to the paper.

Other work included in the contracts is security systems, air-conditioning, baggage claim areas, gangways and staircases to planes and other basic airport facilities.