Cairo Airports Company is in negotiations with the lowest bidder, thought to be Turkey’s Limak Investment, for the $400m renovation of terminal two at Cairo International airport.

Limak is understood to be in “pole position” to win the deal, says another source close to the deal after six companies bid for the project in March (MEED 27:3:11).

“The construction contract is yet to be signed with the lowest evaluated bidder,” says a source involved with the project. Cairo Airports Company is a division of the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation.

The bidders on the project were:

• Limak Investment (Turkey)                              
• Enka (Turkey)                                          
• TAV Airports Holding (Turkey), Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based), Hassan Allam Sons (local)
• OHL Concesiones (Spain)
• Saudi Binladin Group (Saudi Arabia)
• Orascom Construction Industries (local)/Besix (Belgium)

The renovation of terminal two will involve upgrading the existing passenger terminal so that it can handle up to 7.5 million passengers a year, more than double its current capacity of 3.5 million passengers a year. The project will also involve building a new departure hall and airside pier, as well as the construction of larger gates to accommodate Airbus A380 aircraft.

Once the contract is awarded, construction is expected to take three years so the terminal is not likely to be complete until 2014. In March 2010, the Washington-headquartered World Bank approved a $280m loan to help finance the renovation of the terminal.