The local Bayindir has submitted the lowest bid, $65 million, on a build- operate-transfer (BOT) basis for the expansion of Antalya airport on the southern Mediterranean coast (MEED 24:12:93). But complex negotiations are expected before the Transport & Communications Ministry's state airports authority (DHMI) can decide on an award.

The other bidder was a venture of locals Net and Yuksel with the UK's Allders International, which returned a price of $76.2 million. However, its offer of an 18-month construction period, together with an operation and maintenance period of six years and nine months compares well with the 24 months of construction offered by Bayindir, with operation and maintenance over nine years and six months.

The airport is in urgent need of expansion due to steadily rising tourist traffic; it handled 2.1 million passengers in 1990. The present scheme calls for the construction of a new external lines terminal capable of handling 5 million passengers a year. But despite this and other improvements, including an apron extension, the airport will require further expansion to be able to handle 20 million passengers a year, according to studies by the airport authority's consultant, a venture of the UK's Ove Arup & Partners and Stanley Consultants with the local Dogan Tekeli.

Meanwhile, the railway, port and airport construction department (DHL) in the Public Works & Housing Ministry has shortlisted about 31 bidders for a contract to build a regional airport at Carsamba near Samsun at an estimated cost of $63 million. The closing date for construction tenders is 1 March.