Times of Oman reported that four leading contracting firms which are shortlisted by the Tender Board are in race for bagging the USD 100 million Duqm airport terminal building project.
The four companies that are going to submit their bids are Larsen & Toubro, Consolidated Contracting Company, Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction and Makyol. The tender opening date for the terminal building which is expected to handle 500,000 passengers a year has been postponed for four times in the last 2 months.
Sources said that the tender floated on January 9 was expected to open but it was once again postponed to May 23rd 2011. The four companies were selected from eight to nine contracting firms that evinced interest in constructing the terminal building which is the final and third package for developing a green field airport in the Sultanate's northern Al Wusta region.
Apart from the terminal building, the scope of work in the third package include building an air traffic control facility a cargo terminal building with a capacity to handle 50,000 tonnes and an in flight catering building with a capacity to handle 700 meals per day.
The two other packages an access road and utility support services and runway were awarded earlier to Desert Line Projects and Hanjin Heavy Industries & Contracting, respectively. The USD 70 million first packages, involving the provision of access roads and utility support services was awarded to Desert Line Projects in October 2008.
Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction won the second package for building the main airfield infrastructure which includes construction of 4 kilometers long runway designed to Code-F standards, two taxiways, parking apron for passenger aircraft which also include an apron taxi line.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications is overseeing the development of the new regional airports which also include Sohar, Ras Al Hadd and Adam. These regional airports are expected to meet the increasing travel demand of tourists, businessmen and local community.
The gross floor area of Duqm airport is envisaged at 13,350 square meters, with a parking facility for 300 cars. When operational, the Duqm airport will serve as a new gateway into a region with significant economic industrial and commercial potential.
Plans are afoot for building terminal buildings for Ras al Hadd and Adam airports as well. Ras Al Hadd will have a capacity to handle 500,000 passengers per annum, while Adam airport will be able to handle 250,000 passengers per annum. Majority of work of Adam airport except the terminal building is complete now. In fact, Adam airport has partially started operation with an inaugural VVIP flight from Muscat recently landing at the airport some months ago.
According to sources at the Oman Airports Management Company, although VVIP flights are flying in Muscat Adam sector depending on the requirement, the airport will open for scheduled commercial flights only by end-2012, with the completion of a terminal building.
(Sourced from Times of Oman)
