Bids were submitted on 27 December for the first runway package at the proposed Jebel Ali International Airport (JXB) and Dubai Logistics City (DLC). The contract entails the construction of a 4.5-kilometre runway (MEED 23:12:05).

The bidders include: the local Al-Naboodah Contracting; the local/Cypriot National Wheel J&P; the local/UK Dutco Balfour Beatty (DBB); and Saudi Binladin Group. Abu Dhabi-based Trident Transport Companyis carrying out preliminary grading works.

The client expects to make an award on the runway package by February, with completion scheduled for November 2007. Designed to handle the A380-800F freighter aircraft from Europe's Airbus, the runway contract is part of the first phase of the 140-square-kilometre Jebel Ali Airport City (JAAC) development to the south of Jebel Ali village. The project has been fast-tracked due to growing space constraints at Dubai International Airport (DIA) and the rapid growth of local carrier Emirates. It is anticipated that the DIA hub will handle almost 60 million passengers a year by 2010. In 2004, it handled 21.7 million passengers. The client, Dubai's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), is already carrying out a $4,100 million expansion of the existing airport.

A team of Beirut-based Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners)and Aeroports de Paris (AdP) is the project management consultant (PMC).