Six of the best: GCC airport projects

, January 18th, 2010

By Conrad Egbert and Lutfi Qaraman

With ongoing infrastructure projects keeping the construction industry afloat, ConstructionWeekOnline takes a look at six of the biggest airport projects in the GCC.

1. New Doha International Airport
Client: New Doha International Airport Steering Committee.
Estimated value: US $11 billion
Schedule: Work began in 2004 and final completion is expected in 2015
Scope: With a land area in excess 22 km² the New Doha International Airport is designed to handle 50 million passengers, 2 million tonnes of cargo, and 320,000 aircraft landings and takeoffs each year. Over 60 million m³ of fill will be reclaimed from the sea and used to create the site, while over 6.2 million m³ of improperly disposed household waste has been removed from the site and disposed of in an engineered landfill. The runways, taxiways and aprons of the new airport require 3.7 million tonnes of high quality polymer asphalt and an additional 115,000 m³ of concrete, while 800,000 m³ of concrete will be needed for facility structures.

In order to facilitate construction of the airport, over 17 km of temporary roads are being constructed within the site. Over 100 hectares alongside the new airport have been reserved for commercial development, including a free trade zone, offices, hotels, and retail mall.

The contract for the first phase of the airport construction and the planning and design phase was awarded to Bechtel Group Inc. In May 2006, Takenaka won a major contract to build the Emiri VIP terminal. ARINC and Thales were awarded a contract for the IT, telecommunications and security systems at the airport.

Next: Al Maktoum International

2. Al Maktoum International Airport
Estimated value: US $8 billion
Client: Dubai Department of Civil Aviation
Schedule: Phase one is due to open in June 2010 and further expansion will take place in phases. How quickly depends on demand from airlines.
Scope: If the project goes ahead as originally planned, Al Maktoum International Airport will be the largest passenger and cargo hub in the world. Capacity will be 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo per year.

The airport is part of Dubai World Central, which will have residential, retail and leisure components. Al Naboodah Contracting Company won the contract to build the first runway at the airport.

Next: Abu Dhabi International

3. Abu Dhabi International Airport
Estimated value: US $6.8 billion
Client: Abu Dhabi Airports Council
Schedule: Work began in 2005; the opening of the centrepiece Midfield Terminal is scheduled for early 2015.
Scope: The Abu Dhabi International Airport expansion will increase the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers per annum. The centrepiece of the project is the Midfield Terminal Complex, which will serve as the base of operations for Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE. The terminal will sit between two operational runways. The opening of the terminal is scheduled for early 2015.

In January 2010, the Supervision Committee for the Expansion of the Abu Dhabi International Airport invited contractors to ‘express interest’ in the main Midfield Terminal Building package. Other pending construction tenders include ‘Airport wide Utilities & Infrastructure’ and ‘Police Fixed Wing Apron’. Pending design tenders cover utilities, maintenance facilities and a cargo campus.

Next: King Abdulaziz International

4. King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) Development Phase 1
Estimated value: US $1.5 billion
Client: General Authority of Civil Aviation
Schedule: Work began in 2007 and is scheduled to finish in the first quarter of 2012
Scope: King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) is a potentially massive development; the blueprint includes scope to increase capacity to 80 million passengers by 2035 in three phases.

Phase 1, which is underway, covers construction of a 400,000 square metre terminal complex; a new control tower, access roads and utilities infrastructure.

Aeroports De Paris Ingenierie (ADPI) was awarded the design contract and Dar Al Handasa Consultants is the project manager. Construction is in progress and is expected to be completed in 2012.

Next: Muscat International

5. Expansion of Muscat International Airport
Estimated value: US $1.2 billion
Client: Transport and Communications Ministry
Schedule: Construction work is underway and completion is scheduled for mid 2012.
Scope: Work is underway on a new terminal, which will be finished by 2012 and will have the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually. A joint venture of Consolidated Contractors Company and TAV was awarded the main construction contract in May 2009.

A new control tower and second runway are supposed to be operational by the end of 2010. There is scope for further expansions at the airport, which would take capacity up to 48 million passengers by 2050.

Next: Dubai Concourse 3

6. Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport
Estimated value: US $1.17 billion
Client: Dubai Department of Civil Aviation
Schedule: Construction work is underway and completion is scheduled for mid 2012.
Scope: Concourse 3 will 645m long, 90m wide and 42m high. It will increase capacity from Dubai International’s current 40 million to around 70 million. Concourse 3 will feature 20 aircraft stands, 18 of which will be able to accommodate Airbus’ new A380.

Al Jaber Engineering and Contracting was awarded the main construction contract in April 2009. The contract includes the construction, completion and maintenance of the civil, architectural, MEP, SAS and signage works.