Kone wins Saudi Airport deal
Elevator engineering company Kone has secured an order to modernise King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) in Saudi Arabia with advanced people flow solutions.
The project, managed by Dammam Airports Company (Daco), aims to improve the travel experience for more than 11.4 million annual passengers.
Kone's project, slated for completion in Q4 2025, involves replacing and installing 30 MonoSpace elevators, upgrading 31 EcoMod escalators, 14 EcoMod auto walks, and adding 11 new MonoSpace elevators. These energy-efficient solutions are expected to minimise environmental impact and reduce KFIA's carbon footprint.
DACO's modernisation initiative at KFIA is crucial due to the airport's 16.2% annual passenger traffic growth recorded in 2023, according to the company.
This growth also aligns with Saudi Arabia's National Aviation Strategy, which targets 330 million passengers by 2030.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia announced the reduction of airport charges by 35% to boost airline traffic, including at Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam airports.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced this as part of its ongoing plan to privatise all airports in the country.