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Six bidders short-listed for new airport terminal deal

MUSCAT — The Ministry of Transport and Communications has shortlisted six firms, including global construction company Bechtel, France’s Vinci and India’s Larsen & Toubro for a deal to build a $1.4 billion airport terminal, a Tender Board official said yesterday.

Saudi Binladen Group, Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) and Joannou & Paraskevaides from Cyprus, were also prequalified for the Muscat International Airport deal, the official said, adding that last day of bidding would be April 9.

According to Engineer Saeed Khamis Al Zadjali, acting deputy CEO of Oman Airports Management Company, which manages Muscat International and Salalah Airports, a number of improvement projects have been initiated to deliver additional capacity to meet the expected increase in passenger traffic, especially in the passenger processing areas.

“This is to ensure that passengers using the airport can enjoy a comfortable and convenient experience as they arrive, depart or transfer through the airport,” Zadjali told Times of Oman.

The low bidder is a consortium of the local Galfar Engineering & Contracting Company and India’s Larsen & Toubro,” the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) reported last week. “We have been qualified for the terminal building project and we are now in the process of bidding for the job,” said Zahi Saba, project manager of CCC.

Passenger traffic through Muscat International Airport, excluding those in transit, increased to about 3.2 million in 2008, up 18 per cent from the previous year, media reports said early this month.

The new project involves building the northern runway, taxiway system, aprons, roads, utility buildings and other civil works. Further packages will cover a terminal building, an air traffic control tower and ancillary buildings.

The terminal will be built between the airport’s runways. It will have a floor area of 290,000 square metres and connected to the existing terminal by a rail link. It is due to be completed by 2011.

The airport, formerly known as Seeb International Airport, handles 4.5 million passengers a year, but will have capacity for 12 million passengers a year once the work is completed. Three additional phases could increase capacity to 48 million passengers a year.

A team of Denmark’s Cowi and the local Larsen Architects & Consulting Engineers prepared the concept designs for the project. A JV of France’s Aeroports de Paris and Pakistan’s National Engineering Services Pakistan & Partners is the project manager.