15 March 2007 - Gide Loyrette Nouel Paris and Riyadh, legal counsel on two projects linked to the King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, for an estimated combined amount of USD 300 million:

Gide Loyrette Nouel advised IFC (the private sector arm of the World Bank Group) and the recently created General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia (formerly the Presidency of Civil Aviation) on a BTO project relating to the Hajj Terminal Complex at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, as well as a BOT project for new facilities supplying desalinated water to the Airport and its associated facilities. The Hajj Terminal Project is the first airport PPP project in the Kingdom.

The new Hajj Terminal Complex will have a capacity of about 9 million passengers per year and will be essentially dedicated to processing the Mecca pilgrim traffic. Following an international bidding process, the Saudi Binladin Group has been awarded the project with technical assistance from Aéroport de Paris Management (ADPM). In addition, the project of new desalination facilities (with a capacity of 45,000 m³ / day) has been awarded through an international bidding process to a consortium comprised of SETE Energy, Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co. Ltd., Aquatech and WTD S.R.L.

Gide Loyrette Nouel Paris and Riyadh offices have acted as lead counsel for both projects (John D. Crothers, partner, Antoine Cousin, Charles-Henri Arminjon and Robert Willets, associates). The estimated combined amount of the two projects is USD 300 million.