Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) has received the latest updated offers from consultants for the design and supervision of the passenger terminal building and other landside areas on the $33bn expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport.

At least two groups have participated in the tender. They are a UK team of Atkins and Mott MacDonald and a group including Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners).

The bidders have submitted a series of revisions to their offers over the past six months.

One of the major challenges for such a large project is funding, and although some export credit, notably from the UK with a proposal of $2bn, has been pledged. It is understood that the consultancy bid from Atkins/Mott Macdonald will be supported by the UK funding facility.

Elsewhere on the project, contractors are due to submit offers for the enabling works on 13 March. The contract covers earthmoving work for the entire 36 square kilometre site. There had early been an expectation that the scope may only involve work on a small section of the airport expansion area.

The ambitious upgrade to the airport will make it the biggest in the world by 2050 with the capacity to handle 255 million passengers a year. The planned construction work includes the new terminal building, six nodes or concourses connected to the terminal by people movers, and new runways.

The first phase alone will be the largest airport construction scheme ever undertaken in the world. Once complete, it will take the airport’s capacity to 130 million passengers a year and make it capable of accommodating 100 A380 aircraft at any one time. The first phase is expected to open in 2025.

The concept design for the new terminal has been completed by a team of Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah and France’s ADPI.