Contractors compete for work at Dubai’s two international airports

05 December 2011

Contracts cover hangars and terminal buildings

Contractors are expecting to win work on three major projects at Dubai’s two international airports by early 2012 as the emirate continues to invest in its aviation infrastructure.

The contracts cover maintenance hangars, the expansion of a terminal building and the construction of new facilities for the Dubai Airshow.

At least five contractors have submitted bids for the estimated AED400m contract to design and build the Emirates light maintenance hangars at the airport.

The bidders are Canada’s Brookfield Multiplex, the Greek/local Aktor/Ahmadiah, Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China’s Beijing Construction Group and Cyprus-based Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas).

The winning bidder will complete four aircraft hangars for Emirates airlines in 18 months.

The carrier will use the structures for the light maintenance of its current and future wide-body aircraft.

As well as the aircraft bays, the complex will house back-of-house functions such as workshops, administration, technical offices, and other support functions, as well as mechanical installation areas. The total built up area of the complex is about 55,000 sq m.

The new light maintenance hangars will be constructed opposite Emirates’ existing heavy maintenance hangars and will share the approach apron in-between.

For the Dubai International airport Terminal 2 expansion, three local contractors are competing for the contract. They are Al-Ahmadiah, Alec and Arabtec Construction.

The project involves doubling the size of the terminal from 30,000 square metres to about 60,000 sq m. For the selected contractor, this will involve about 30,000 sq m of new build and 25,000 sq m of refurbishment. The client is Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

At Al-Maktoum International airport in Jebel Ali, which is also known as Dubai World Central, DCA has invited contractors to submit bids by 18 December for a contract to build facilities that will be used for the biennial Dubai Airshow.

The work involves build two large hangars in time for the next Dubai Airshow in 2013. The consultant for the project is Lebananon’s Dar al-Handasah.

The DCA is also planning to develop a fourth concourse at Dubai International airport. In August, Dubai Duty Free said it will part-finance the project (MEED 24:8:11).

Concourse 4 is expected to be connected to terminal one. Concourse three, which is currently being built by Alec, is due to open at the end of 2012 and will consist of 20 dedicated A380 gates.

Dubai International airport recorded total passenger traffic of 12.2 million during the first quarter of 2011. In July, Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum approved a $7.8bn airport and airspace expansion programme for Dubai International. The expansion will increase capacity to 90 million passengers a year by 2018.

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