SAUDI ARABIA. MATARAT Holding company Dammam Airports has launched an Expressions of Interest (EOI) process for the duty-free concession at King Fahd International Airport.
The process, launched by the airport operator last Thursday (19 February), invites experienced organisations to register their interest in operating duty-free stores at the fast-growing Saudi gateway.
The duty-free tender comes amid a period of robust traffic growth at King Fahd Airport, which served 12.8 million passengers in 2024, up +15% year-on-year. Market sources indicate traffic exceeded 13 million in 2025, although official figures are pending.
Dammam Airports said it anticipates significant traffic increases in the coming years, as Saudi Arabia accelerates its Vision 2030 tourism and economic diversification strategy.
Strong passenger growth in the Kingdom was underlined recently when the General Authority of Civil Aviation revealed Saudi passenger numbers rose to 141 million across all airports in 2025, rising +9.6% year-on-year.
King Fahd Airport is one of the Kingdom’s four primary international gateways, alongside King Abdulaziz International (Jeddah), King Khalid International (Riyadh) and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International (Medinah), which together accommodate over 80% of Saudi Arabia’s passenger traffic.
Located 31 kilometres north-west of downtown Dammam, King Fahd serves the Kingdom’s Eastern Province and is among the largest airports in the world by land area.
The commercial potential of the duty-free contract – dubbed by a Moodie Davitt Report MATARAT Holding source as “a great Saudi opportunity” – is reinforced by wider structural growth across the Saudi airport ecosystem under the direction of MATARAT Holding.
That momentum is particularly evident in Dammam. In July 2025, the General Authority of Civil Aviation granted a low-cost airline licence to an Air Arabia-led consortium that will be based at King Fahd International.
The new carrier, a joint venture involving Air Arabia, Nesma Company and KUN Investment Holding, is scheduled to commence operations this year with a fleet of 45 Airbus A320-family aircraft.
The airline plans to serve 24 domestic and 57 international destinations, targeting 10 million passengers annually by 2030.
The submission deadline for the EOI is 1 March. Interested duty-free operators are required to submit a letter of interest, contact details and company profile to CommercialTender@DammamAirports.sa. ✈
In a key interview with MATARAT Holding in August last year, our Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie spoke to executives about the transformation of key Saudi airports, including King Fahd Airport, into global hubs. Pictured speaking during the interview above is MATARAT Holding Executive Vice President of Privatisation and Commercial Rudy Vercelli. Click on the image to read the article.
TENDER ALERTThe Moodie Davitt Report is the industry’s most popular channel for launching commercial proposals and for publishing the results. If you wish to promote an Expression of Interest, Request for Proposals or full tender process for any sector of airport or other travel-related infrastructure revenues, simply email Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com. We have a variety of options that will ensure you reach the widest, most high-quality concessionaire/retailer/operator base in the industry – globally and immediately. The Moodie Davitt Report is the only international business media to cover all airport or other travel-related consumer services, revenue-generating and otherwise. Our reporting includes duty-free and other retail, food & beverage, property, lounges and other hospitality services, art and culture, hotels, car parking, medical facilities, advertising and other related revenue streams. Please send relevant material, including images, to Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com for instant, quality global coverage. |
