Four contractors submitted bids on 9 January for the estimated QR2.5bn ($687m) contract to build an extension to the passenger terminal at the New Doha International airport.

According to sources working on the project, which is known as the north node or phase 3a, the bidders are Spain’s Obrascon Huarte Lain; a joint venture of Belgium’s Six Construct and the local Midmac Contracting Company; South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company; and Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation.

The project client, the NDIA Steering Committee, plans to award the contract at the end of the first quarter or the start of the second quarter this year.

The terminal extension is a five-level structure with a total floor area of 127,000 square metres. The ground floor will accommodate transit passengers, the first floor is for departures, and the second for arrivals. The third and fourth levels will house a 100-room hotel (MEED 7:8:09).

The extension will connect to the main passenger terminal, which is being built by the Sky Oryx consortium, which is comprised of Japan’s Taisei Corporation and Turkey’s TAV.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation has also been given notice to proceed by the steering committee on a QR641m contract to build airport support facilities.

The Beijing-based contractor will build about 20 building at the airport, including a general aviation terminal and hangar, general service buildings, fire stations and administration buildings.

In August last year CAT International Qatar, part of Lebanon’s Contracting & Trading (CAT), won a contract to build three utility plants at the airport. The contract also involves the installation of equipment. The plants will house pumping stations, communication centres and other services that will support the airport when it opens in 2011.

The first phase of the $11bn airport is scheduled to open in late 2011. It includes two runways and a 140,000 sq m airport terminal, with 24 aircraft gates and capacity to handle 12 million passengers a year.

The second phase, which includes the north node, will double the airport’s capacity to 24 million passengers, with the addition of about 80,000 sq m of space.

US-based Bechtel is the engineering, procurement and construction management contractor on the project.