400Hz Ground Power Units (GPU) & Pre-Conditioned Air (PCA) installations at King Khalid International Airport (RUH)

This sub-category combines the two halves of the APU-off gate package. Ground Power Units supply electrical power to a parked aircraft: diesel-engine mobile GPUs, battery and hybrid eGPUs, fixed gate-mounted 400Hz solid-state frequency converters, 28.5V DC rectifiers and 270V DC supplies, plus gate boxes, load banks and heavy 400Hz/28V cabling. Pre-Conditioned Air delivers conditioned air to the cabin through a hose to replace the APU's environmental load: diesel and electric mobile PCA carts, fixed bridge-mounted PCA, and aircraft air-conditioning units (ACU) engineered for extreme ambient temperatures. Buyers specify by kVA rating, output type, cooling capacity (tons/kW) and ambient design point; fixed 400Hz plus PCA at the bridge is a core decarbonisation lever, so airports and PBB integrators procure both together.

A sprawling 1980s-era masterplan set in desert pink sandstone, RUH was designed by HOK when Riyadh was still a secondary capital. Four decades later, the city has outgrown it. Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 now share the load as traffic hit 37.2 million in 2024, and new carrier Riyadh Air prepares to launch before the airport itself is eclipsed by King Salman International just across town.