Beirut-based Dar al-Handasah has won the design contract for the expansion of the existing terminal at Bahrain International airport.

The design part of the project is expected to cost BD4.4m ($11.6m), which is expected to take nine months to complete. The expansion will boost capacity to 13.5 million passengers a year from the current 9 million.

The expansion will also involve building new retail facilities, four or five new contact gates, nine remote gates and 40 more check-in counters.

Dar al-Handasah will also supervise the construction. The expansion is expected to be completed by 2015.

In April, Bahrain Airport Company said it was focusing on the expansion project rather than on plans to build two new passenger terminals (MEED 5:4:11).

However, the two new terminals remain part of the long-term development plan for Bahrain airport.

In April 2010, France’s Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie (Adpi) won the contract to prepare the masterplan for the 30-year expansion of Bahrain airport.