AIRPORT OPERATIONAL READINESS

CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS & STATUS

REPORT

Contents
1.

Purpose................................................................................................................

2.

Critical Path Analysis............................................................................................

3.

2.1

Status without Critical Path of SEC Sub-Station E..........................................

2.2

Status including the Critical Path analysis of SEC Sub-Station E....................

Phases of the Project to achieve successful opening...........................................

3.1

Factory Acceptance Testing and Site Acceptance Testing..............................

3.2

Testing & Commissioning...............................................................................

3.3

Preliminary Hand Over...................................................................................

3.4

Aerodrome Certification process....................................................................

3.5

Trial Operations..............................................................................................

4.

Airport Opening....................................................................................................

5.

Timelines..............................................................................................................

6.

Critical Path Items................................................................................................

7.

6.1

Permanent power to the Load Centres and the PTB.......................................

6.2

Appointment of an Airport Operator..............................................................

6.3

Manuals and Operating Procedures...............................................................

6.4

Business Planning / Revenue Generation / Commercial Contracts.................

6.5

Saudi Airlines Flight Operations Centre........................................................

6.6

Fuel Supplies................................................................................................

6.7

Staff Recruitment.........................................................................................

Critical Path Analysis to Determine AOD............................................................

1. Purpose.

The purpose of this report is to provide details of the systematic approach

to explain the strict order of progress required from Construction to
Operations, to make the new King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA)
ready for successful aircraft operations.
Far too often in major airport construction projects, the Political pressure
to open an airport before all equipment, facilities and systems are
adequately tested, commissioned, trialed and proven ready for operations
has caused failure, embarrassment, major delays and costly corrections to
be necessary, before a second or even third attempt at airport opening is
finally successful.
Enough evidence has already been viewed by our project leaders to know
the airports involved and the cause of their problems. Those failures
cannot be allowed to occur with the new KAIA.
It is important therefore, for the Project Principals and all major
stakeholders to be aware of the critical path and interrelationships which
exist within the project components and the necessity to allow all
components of the readiness process to be successfully concluded,
without interruption, which includes testing and commissioning and Trial
Operations, before opening for commercial operations.
The graphs immediately following, provide Status images from January
2014 and June 2014. The same content is displayed in each image but the
analysis in the second graph uses the progress of the SEC Electrical SubStation E, which provides power to Load Centre C, which provides power
to the PTB, as the Critical Path to determine an expected opening date for
the airport.

2. Critical Path Analysis

2.1 Status without Critical Path of SEC Sub-Station E.

2.2 Status including the Critical Path analysis of SEC

Sub-Station E.

The following chapters explain the preconditions that will effect the
proposed airport opening date for the new KAIA.

PLANNING THE MOBILIZATION & MOVE PROCESSES. DECIDING BEST MOVE

OPTIONS. IN PROGRESS.

3. Phases of the Project to achieve successful opening

During the phases that follow, all stakeholders are in the preparation
process of employing additional staff and familiarizing and training those
staff to be ready to operate at their new workplace.
RECRUITMENT SHOULD BE TAKING
PLACE NOW.

3.1 Factory Acceptance Testing and Site Acceptance

Testing
During construction it is necessary for appropriate employees
of the airport operator to undertake training at suppliers
factories and onsite to be taught the purpose, the function
and the operation of the equipment being installed.

FAMILIARIZATION TRAINING IS UNDERWAY.

3.2 Testing & Commissioning

Before Construction Completion and before Preliminary
Handover of a facility, a Testing and Commissioning schedule
for Equipment and Systems will be drawn up by the
contractor, approved by the Construction Manager and carried
out as per schedule and to rigorous set standards. The Testing
and Commissioning is only complete when the equipment or
systems have been successful and accepted by the
Construction Manager. These schedules take place at varying
times depending on installation, integration and operation of
equipment.
AIRPORT OPERATOR IN PLACE & SOPS AND MANUALS
COMPLETE

3.3 Preliminary Hand Over

Only after the successful testing and commissioning
programme can a preliminary handover take place.
Only after the preliminary handover takes place can the Trial
Operations Programme commence.
There will be some acceptable snagging still to be rectified at
this stage and usually rectified within 30 days. Preliminary
Hand Over will not take place with major snag items
unresolved.

At this time, a certification programme of Equipment, Systems

and Facilities will be carried out by a GACA authorized third
party.

BUSINESS PLAN & REVENUE GENERATION. THIRD PARTY

CONTRACTS SHOULD BE IN PLACE.

3.4 Aerodrome Certification process

To comply with ICAO requirements and GACA regulations, the
Aerodrome Certification programme will start around this time,
to be successfully completed and the Aerodrome Certified, in
time for commercial opening and operations. This is at least a
six month process.

3.5 Trial Operations

COMPLETE ALL ON JOB TRAINING. ALL STAFF ARE FAMILIAR WITH
THEIR WORKPLACE.

An extensive Trial Operations programme will be undertaken

to ensure this airport is ready for operations. The programme
should be scheduled to take approximately nine months. Trial
Operations must not be confused with Testing &
Commissioning as they are two separate and very different
processes.
Testing and Commissioning will ensure that equipment,
systems, facilities etc. have been built and installed correctly
and work as designed.
Trial Operations will ensure all facilities, equipment and
systems can achieve designed performance standards when
being utilized in a working environment, and being utilized to
their capacity. Any failures will be retrialed and retrialed again
until proven to operate satisfactorily for its purpose.
All stakeholders will take part in the Trial Operations
Programme and it will satisfy familiarization and training
needs as well as operational confidence.

Trial Operations will gradually build from simple processes to

integrated processes and full scale operations with live aircraft
using up to 5000 volunteers as passengers to ensure all
systems are proven to operate as expected and designed.
When it is agreed that the airport is operationally ready, it can
be opened. GACA, KAIA, the Airport Operator, CM AOR, Major
stakeholders, all must be in agreement. Pressure to open the
airport when conflict exists with major decision makers s not
prudent.

ALL SERVICE CONTRACTS IN PLACE & ALL MOBILIZED. ALL

APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS MOVE

4. Airport Opening
Preparations have been underway to plan and carry out the
first move and the first commercial flight for more than twenty
four months at this stage. All construction related processes
and operational readiness functions have been completed
successfully and the airport can open.

5. Timelines
The complexities of harmonizing all the construction,
administrative, regulatory and operational functions to be able
to reach a preliminary handover date firstly and to reach the
opening date secondly with all things in place and in good
operating condition is a mammoth task with all stakeholders
needing to provide their total commitment.
It is very difficult to know when recruitment and training
should be undertaken if stakeholders are confused about the
construction schedule. Any construction delays can cause
recruitment and training processes to be out of line and
retraining is likely to be required.
Additionally many functions cannot take place without other
functions being completed. Critical path items will delay
airport opening.

6. Critical Path Items

6.1 Permanent power to the Load Centres and the PTB
Until permanent power is provided, the Testing and
Commissioning and Trial Operations cannot be carried out.
This will delay airport opening. At June 2014 the design for
the Electrical substation has not been finalized and site
selection not decided. It is estimated that 18 months is
needed for this to be completed.

6.2 Appointment of an Airport Operator

The Airport Operator must be in place and mobilized before
the Preliminary Hand Over and before any Trial Operations are
carried out. This will delay airport opening. AOR believe the
RFP has not been produced and believe it should be published
24 months prior to expect AOD.

6.3 Manuals and Operating Procedures

Must be in place, accepted and finalized by the new airport
operator before they can be used to support the Aerodrome
Certification process and for use with trial operations. Ideally
these documents should be completed 12 months prior to
AOD.

6.4 Business Planning / Revenue Generation /

Commercial Contracts
The Retail outlets, food and beverage outlets, service
providers, Hotel Operator and other incidental services cannot
be contracted without a Business Plan and being able to
determine the contract and charges.

Airlines cannot determine final space requirements without

knowing their costs.
Airline Lounges need to know operating costs to know charges
to levy the users.
Hotel rates are determined by operating costs. These need to
be known and RFPs produced 18 months prior to AOD.

6.5 Saudi Airlines Flight Operations Centre

Saudi Airlines have advised CM AOR that they cannot
commence operating from the new Passenger Terminal if their
Flight Operations Centre is not completed by the time the
airport is ready to open. If that is the case the airport opening
will be delayed. At June 2014 the design for the Flight
Operations Centre has not been completed and construction
has not commenced. AOR estimate a further 18 months to 2
years is needed for this facility to be ready for operations.

6.6 Fuel Supplies

The new KAIA will need the new Fuel Farm operational and the
Fuel Hydrant distribution system in operation on the first day
of opening. Delays to this critical supply will delay airport
opening.

6.7 Staff Recruitment

Delays in approval to recruit new staff for the demands of
operations at the new KAIA is a critical item. If any delay
causes late recruitment and late training, the standards of
operations at the new KAIA could be severely affected. This
will be particularly evident in all passenger processing areas.
At June 2014 no Government agency has commenced
recruitment, most are still waiting approvals from the MOF. It
is estimated that this process will take 12 months from
interview to appointment.

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7. Critical Path Analysis to Determine AOD

The following graph provides the same information which was displayed in
paragraph 2 of this document but produced using a different programme.
Critical path items which are displayed in the graph can be referred to in
paragraph 6.

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