Muscat International airport will be very near Omagine site, and apparently they are anticipating more turism travel.

Construction award for Muscat airport development likely by mid-year

Artist’s rendition of the redeveloped Muscat International Airport.

By Conrad Prabhu
MUSCAT — The first of several key construction contracts linked to the expansion and modernisation of the Muscat and Salalah international airports is expected to be awarded by as early as mid-2009, it is learnt. In all, four major construction contracts are now out to tender with a number of international and local construction heavyweights participating in the competitive bidding process overseen by the Tender Board on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Also tendered out apart from these construction packages are a number of other contracts pertaining to the provision of various kinds of equipment, systems and services at the two airports.

According to officials, the actual construction of the two airports is organised in four distinct packages labelled as Main Contracts (MC) 1, 2, 3 and 5. While MC 1, 2 and 3 pertain to the development of Muscat International Airport, MC5 focuses entirely on the expansion and refurbishment of Salalah International Airport. Each of the main contracts comprises a substantial package of works involving significant allocations in capital investment by the government.

The most prestigious of the four packages is MC1, which covers the development of airside facilities at Muscat International Airport. Envisaged in this package is the construction of a new 4.3-kilometre, 60-metre-wide runway built to Code-F standards, meaning it can handle the largest aircraft in service today, notably the Airbus A380 Superjumbo or its equivalent.

The existing runway will be upgraded, while a number of taxiways and aprons will be built — all to Code-F standards. The modernised airport will thus boast two runways instead of today’s single runway facility. Also as part of this package, the selected contractor will undertake the complete landside redevelopment of connectivity to the airport. A total of seven bridges/interchanges, as well as over 60 kilometres of access roads will be built both on the airside and landside, while the existing roads will be widened.

Importantly, the redeveloped airport will feature a modern storm water drainage system designed to secure the complex against flooding of the kind witnessed in the city during the adverse weather conditions of June 2007. The second package (MC2) centres primarily on the construction of a new state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control tower, which at around 100 metres in height, will be a landmark in its own right. Also envisaged in this package are facilities for Crash Fire Rescue, air traffic management centre, data centre, as well as other facilities and services. Equally coveted by contractors is the MC3 package, the centrepiece of which is the construction of a world-class passenger terminal with a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per year.

Designed and built to IATA’s A-class standards, the terminal will be equipped for every modern passenger convenience and amenity associated with some of the best-known airports in the world today. Covering an area of around 500,000 sq metres, the passenger terminal will also include a number of piers, concourse, access ramps and forecourt complex. Provision for travelators/escalators and other services is also made in this package.

Envisioned in MC5 is the complete redevelopment of Salalah International Airport. A new 55,000 sq metre passenger terminal designed for three million passengers per annum will be built. The package also entails the construction of a new 4,000-metre runway, as well as taxiways and aprons — all built to Code-F standards. The existing runway will be upgraded and converted into a parallel taxiway. Additionally, the selected contractor will build the crash fire rescue station, car park, utility buildings, data centre and other facilities, as well as enhance landside connectivity.

Industry watchers expect the airport construction awards to be announced in quick succession as the government could seek to capitalise on the current economic environment — with prices of steel, building materials and contracting services at multi-year lows — to accelerate development of the projects.