Egis builds on decades of Middle East trust

Egis is supporting Saudia and Flyadeal airlines during the transfer of their operations to the new terminal at Jeddah Airport. Vincent Chappard reviews the group’s main projects in the region with Middle East aviation director Jacques Khoriaty.

French engineering group, Egis, has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s.
Today it boasts 1,400 employees and a turnover of €160 million ($198m) in the rail market, including the Riyadh and Doha subway projects; road infrastructure (Doha motorway system); and, of course, in the aviation sector.
In 2016, Egis generated 17% of its turnover in the Middle East and 10% in Africa.
In the airline industry, it has a unique portfolio of air traffic management (ATM) and airport services, ranging from strategy to operations. It provides assistance to its customers in their strategic, organisational, regulatory, operational and technological evolutions to develop a sustainable air transport system.
Egis has led projects to improve operational performance at Dubai airports and to build control towers at Cairo, Alexandria (Borg El Arab) and El-Arish airports.
The company is present in the Saudi market, where it is preparing the launch of the new terminal, scheduled for May 2018. It is also assisting Saudia and Flyadeal in their transfer operations to their new hubs in Jeddah.
The ongoing expansion work at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah will run until 2035. Egis is working on the integration of the systems of the new terminal and the control tower.
“The transfer requires a lot of planning, logistics and training, especially for the movement of the aircraft fleet, systems and personnel,” explained Egis Middle East aviation director Jacques Khoriaty.
Egis is also interested in projects at the country’s regional airports, including the Abha and Jizan airport infrastructure in the south of the country. These domestic and regional destinations are experiencing growth in air traffic from 20 to 25% thanks to tourism.
Khoriaty is closely following the Saudi airports privatisation programme – part of the government’s ‘Vision 2030 Plan’. The group is studying these opportunities as both a potential investor and operator.
Egis also wants to diversify its activities in the UAE and Kuwait and has submitted tenders for several airport development projects. These include the extension of one of Sharjah’s airport terminals, a project management contract for Kuwait Airport, and a partnership for Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.
Khoriaty believes Iran also has much opportunity for development, but the group doesn’t yet have the green light (especially the financial flow) to operate in the country.
“We are preparing market studies and masterplans with Iranian staff from our Dubai office to position ourselves,” said Khoriaty.
The company has been working with all Gulf countries for the past two years to reorganise and find solutions to facilitate air traffic flows.
It has also signed a strategic partnership with Projacs, a leading Middle East project management company, aimed at creating growth opportunities.