20 April 2012
ASX Markets Announcements Australian Securities Exchange
Limited Level 4
20 Bridge Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Please find attached a copy of a media release to be issued
today by the Habtoor
Leighton Group (HLG), our 45% owned associate headquartered
in the Middle East. Yours faithfully,
A.J. MOIR
Company Secretary
Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG), in joint venture with TAV and
Al Rajhi, has been awarded an SAR2.87 billion (US$765
million) contract in Saudi Arabia for the design and
construction of a new maintenance, repair and overhaul
facility (MRO) for Saudi Aerospace and Engineering Industries
(SAEI). HLG's share of the contract is worth SAR573 million
(US$153 million).
The project is located within the King Abdulaziz
International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and is part of
an overall SAR27 billion (US$7.2 billion) expansion plan to
increase the airport's capacity from 13 million to 80 million
passengers per year by 2035.
HLG CEO and Managing Director, Laurie Voyer, said this
project was typical of some of the new work opportunities
that HLG was pursuing in the region and reflected the Group's
growth strategy to expand into new geographic markets.
"Strategically this is a very important project for us," he
said.
"Our growth strategy is based on diversifying our workload by
both geography and work type with good quality clients who
value our services.
"This project is our first major project in Saudi Arabia,
which is perhaps our most important geographic growth
market.
"We are able to leverage off the Leighton Group's Australian
and Asian experience in delivering airport infrastructure and
apply this to a new market.
"Saudi Arabia is a key growth market for HLG. It is by far
the largest market in the Middle East and close to US$50
billion worth of projects will be awarded there this year,"
he said.
Mr Voyer said that HLG expected to secure further work in the
Kingdom this year.
"We're confident that this is the first of a number of
projects we will secure in Saudi Arabia in 2012," he
said.
HLG - TAV - Al Rajhi JV's scope of works includes the design
and construction of:
• 11 aircraft maintenance hangars with clear spans up to 160 metres
• maintenance, ancillary buildings and workshops comprising 343,000 square metres of built-up area
• all electro-mechanical and special equipment required for a modern automated MRO facility
• corresponding aprons, taxiways and airfield infrastructure works.
The MRO facility will service all types of modern aircraft
including the latest A380 and B747 models and will be the one
of the largest MRO facilities in the Middle East. SAEI also
retains an option to increase the facility by a further
150,000 square metres which include a further nine
hangars.
Design and enabling works are expected to commence
immediately with the facility due for completion in
October 2014 after a 30 month design and construct
period.
SAEI is part of Saudi Arabian Airlines Group.
ENDS
In Dubai:
Chris Gordon
Habtoor Leighton Group
M: +971 (0) 50 654 9415
The Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG) is one of the leading diversified international contractors in the Middle East and North Africa. The Group operates in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Afghanistan. HLG is part of the Leighton Group, Australia's largest project development and contracting group with annual revenues exceeding US$18 billion.
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