Kuwait’s Central Tenders Committee has extended the deadline to 13 November for companies to submit bids to carry out package three of Kuwait International airport.

Package three covers building a new 4.5-kilometre runway, the reconstruction and extension of the existing eastern runway to 4km and building primary and secondary access roads and taxiways.

In August, the Central Tenders Committee invited companies to submit bids by 11 October. The Central Tenders Committee prequalified 14 companies to bid for the deal in May (29:5:11).

The prequalifiers include:

• Mohammed Abdulmohsin al-Kharafi & Sons (local)/TAV Construction (Turkey)
• Galfar Engineering & Contracting Company (Oman)/Larsen & Toubro (India)
• Greenline General Trading & Contracting Company (UAE)/Cengiz (Turkey)/Makyol (Turkey)
• Mushrif Trading & Contracting Company (local)/GS Engineering & Construction Company (South Korea)/Kumho Industrial Company (South Korea)
• First Kuwaiti Trading Company (local)/Almabani General Contractors (Saudi Arabia)
• Combined Group Company (local)/Constructor San Jose (Spain)
• Al-Ahmadiah General Trading & Construction Company (UAE)/Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas) (Cyprus)
• Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based)/Laing O’Rourke Middle East (UAE)
• Kuwait Arab Contractors Company/The Arab Contractors Osman Ahmed Osman & Company (Egypt)
• Copri Construction Enterprises (local)/Sinohydro Corporation (China)
• Alamiah Building Company (local)/KCPC Construction (UAE)/Strabag (Austria)/Rizzani (Italy)
• United Gulf Construction Company (local)/China Railway 18^th Bureau Group (China)
• Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting Company (local)/Al-Habtoor Leighton (UAE)
• Boodai Construction (local)/Grupo Isolux Corsan (Spain), Sacyr (Spain)

Package three is just one part of the development of Kuwait airport. The other packages are package one, which covers the upgrade of two existing runways, taxiways, aprons and access roads, while package two involves the construction of an administration building, car parks and two fire stations. The local Mohammed Abdulmohsin al-Kharafi & Sons General Trading & Contracting Company won this contract in April 2010.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) expects packages one and three to be completed by 2014.     

The $747m new terminal is a separate project. The DGCA remains in talks with the government to bring the project under its jurisdiction. Bids are tentatively expected in 2012.