The much awaited OMR 294 million Salalah airport expansion project was bagged by a consortium led by India's engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro. The local partner in the consortium is Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company.
Sources familiar with the contract said that this is close on the heels of a consortium of US based Bechtel, Bahwan Engineering Company and Turkey's INCA recently winning OMR 706 million contract to build a new passenger terminal for the Muscat International Airport.
Larsen and Toubro led consortium won the contract amid severe competition from several other multinationals including Turkey's Alsim Alarko Sanayi Tesisleri Ve Ticaret AS with Nagarjuna Construction Company and Joannou & Paraskeevaides.
Sources said that Salalah airport will be able to handle one million passengers per year after the expansion. This can be scaled up to 2 million with a provision for 6 million passengers per annum. The scope of work for Salalah airport include design and building of a new terminal, 4 kilometers long runway, air traffic control tower, new fuel farm and fuel network new rescue and fire fighting station, new aircraft parking hangar, air side works and other facilities.
One source said that the expansion will be complete within 30 months." The expanded airport will have a parking facility for 2,200 slots and a catering unit to serve 1,000 meals a day. After the expansion, there will be eight boarding gates and 24 check in counters at the departure.
The expanded Salalah airport will be able to play host to the very latest aircraft in the world including the world's largest passenger aircraft, the A380. The aim is to design state of the art airports offering passengers a high degree of comfort and safety. Salalah airport currently handles only domestic and regional flights. The Sultanate wants to expand it and turn it into an international terminal. Meanwhile, Galfar shares moved up by 2.89% to close at 589 baisas amid 4052553 shares changing hand on the Muscat Securities Market.
Mr M Shyamsunder CEO of L&T Oman said that the company plans to double this turnover to OMR 330 million over the next 15 years. The Vision 2010 charter for Oman’s future economic development offers significant potential for the company’s enhanced growth.
(Sourced from Gulf Base)
