Inside Saudi Arabia’s Next Wave of Development

Jun 4, 2025

Mega Projects & Momentum: Inside Saudi Arabia’s Next Wave of Development

Why long-term growth in infrastructure and aviation is opening the door for hospitality and foodservice suppliers

Saudi Arabia’s vision for economic transformation isn’t slowing down — it’s accelerating. While many know about NEOM and the Red Sea Project, there’s an entire pipeline of infrastructure mega-projects quietly reshaping how business gets done in the region.

Among them is the King Salman International Airport, a $30 billion development in Riyadh that marks one of the largest aviation expansions globally. But the opportunity here isn’t just about air travel — it’s everything that gets built around it.

The Airport Project: A Gateway for Everything Else

Bechtel, one of the world’s largest engineering firms, has been selected to lead the development of King Salman International Airport. The project will cover 57 square kilometres, house six parallel runways, and be capable of handling 185 million passengers annually by 2050.

That scale of infrastructure needs more than planes. It triggers a cascade of parallel builds:

  • Hotels for business and transit passengers

  • Restaurants and high-capacity F&B outlets

  • Staff housing and central service facilities

  • Retail and entertainment zones

  • Support kitchens for airlines and terminals

Beyond the Airport: A Wider Ecosystem

This airport expansion isn’t happening in isolation. It’s part of a larger trend outlined in Arab News, which highlights how Saudi Arabia is expected to become one of the fastest-growing economies globally in the coming years, driven by non-oil revenue and heavy investment in tourism, logistics, and entertainment.

As the country diversifies, these areas are booming:

  • Business tourism → driving demand for hotel kitchens, conference facilities, and quick-serve dining

  • Cultural & entertainment hubs → requiring F&B fit-outs, concessions, and mobile kitchen operations

  • Urban development zones → needing commercial kitchens in everything from malls to hospitals and staff compounds

The Opportunity for Suppliers

The scale is huge — but so is the competition. If you're a kitchen equipment brand, consultant, or contractor, here's what matters most:

  • You need to be early. Most of these projects are mapped 18–36 months in advance. If you're not in consultant specs or RFP conversations now, you're playing catch-up.

  • You need local support. Projects of this scale won’t tolerate slow response times or unclear delivery timelines.

  • You need to think beyond single sales. These are multi-phase, multi-venue ecosystems. It's not about one kitchen — it's about networks of kitchens, built over time.

How We Help

Amplify-Me works with manufacturers, consultants, and dealers to:

  • Introduce your brand to consultants and hotel operators

  • Share live project leads across Saudi Arabia and the GCC

  • Provide on-the-ground sales support for consistent follow-up

  • Get your brand positioned early in the spec process

Final Thoughts

Saudi Arabia’s mega project wave isn’t just a construction story — it’s a supply chain story, and commercial kitchen suppliers who move early are the ones who stand to benefit most.

Whether you're in foodservice equipment, design, or distribution — now’s the time to get plugged in.

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