Kuwait will sign a $66.7m deal with the UK’s Foster & Partners on 4 March for the design of a passenger terminal at Kuwait airport.

In November, MEED reported that the firm had tentatively secured the contract but it will be made definite this week (MEED 30:11:10).

The terminal will have capacity for 13 million passengers a year and will bring the airport’s total capacity to about 20 million passengers a year.

A source at Kuwait’s General Directorate of Civil Aviation says the design process for the second terminal will take about two years. After this, the construction tender will be issued to contractors.

The authority also plans to widen and extend the two existing runways at the airport and eventually build a third runway.

The contract for runway work will be divided into two parts. One will involve construction and the second will cover supplying equipment such as radars and communications, according to the source.

Details for the equipment needed are currently being reviewed and prequalification documents for that contract could be out by the end of 2010.

The Kuwaiti authorities plan to build a cargo terminal and further five passenger terminals, increasing the airport’s passenger handling capacity to 45 million passengers a year.