According to the bid prices, opened in mid-June, Turkey's Tepe Akfen Vie Investment Construction & Operation (TAV)is the low bidder at $347 million for the contract. It is closely followed by a team of Saudi Binladin Groupand the US' Turner International, with a price of $354 million, and a consortium led by France's Bouyguesand including the local Orascom Construction Industries, at $360 million. A total of 12 groups were prequalified to bid for terminal 3, which is due to become operational in February 2007.

The local Arab Contractors (Osman Ahmed Osman & Company)in late March was awarded an estimated £E 55 million-60 million ($8.9 million-9.6 million) contract for enabling works on the project, which will involve construction of a main terminal with a built-up area of 164,000 square metres. Associated landside works include the construction of bridges and flyovers, parking facilities and a new access road connecting to the main airport highway into central Cairo. Two associated projects - for the construction of a new runway and a control tower - are expected to be tendered independently of the main terminal construction package this year. The terminal has been designed to handle 11 million passengers a year and will cater for both international and domestic flights, bringing total annual capacity at the airport up to 20.6 million people.

The project manager on Cairo terminal 3 is Beirut-based Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners), which is also overseeing the construction of a new terminal at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. Bids for the main construction package are due to be submitted on 18 July.

Both projects will receive funding from the World Bank, which approved in March a $335 million loan (MEED 5:3:04).