The Sharjah Airport Authority expects to receive bids for the design and works supervision contract for the Sharjah International airport’s expansion project by 8 April.

Firms that are understood to have been invited to bid for the contract include:

• ADPI (France)
• L&C Partners (Italy)
• Setec (France)

In March last year, US-based Parsons won the project management services contract for the planning, design, construction, and commissioning of the expanded airport.

The budget for the expansion of the airport, understood to be aboutq AED1.5bn ($400m), was approved in early 2017.

The project will include numerous facilities as well as the expansion of the passenger terminal building and the widening of roads to and from the airport. The planned expansion will take the airport capacity from 8 to 25 million passengers annually.

Preparatory works for the airport’s expansion are under way. Local firm Metito has been awarded the contract for the construction of a sewage treatment plant (STP). The enabling works package is understood to be awarded imminently.

Sharjah International handled 11.36 million passengers in 2017, compared with 11 million passengers in the previous year.

US-based Bechtel and UK-based Ernst & Young were appointed as consultant and financial adviser, respectively, for a masterplan that includes increasing the airport’s passenger capacity to up to 25 million passengers annually by 2025.