Multi-billion dollar Abu Dhabi airport plan takes off

Abu Dhabi Airports Company has invited construction companies to bid on a contract for the midfield terminal building.

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Construction of a multi-billion dollar terminal building has passed a major milestone as Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) releases tender documents for the construction of what is to become the future home of Etihad Airways.

This is a significant step for the airports company which is tasked with rolling out the infrastructure needed to continue growing the UAE capital's aviation industry and to service the dozens of airlines serving Abu Dhabi International Airport later this decade.

The midfield terminal building (MTB) has been in the planning stages for the past five years and had issued an earlier tender, in 2008, only to be later withdrawn and a thorough review enacted by ADAC's management.

While the 2008 tender was structured as a public-private partnership, ADAC officials this week said the new tender is structured as a traditional construction contract.

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"Abu Dhabi Airports Company is pleased to announce the release of the MTB tender," said Khalifa al Mazrouei (ck), its chairman.

The main terminal building will be 700,000 sq/m and have an initial capacity of 27 to 30 million passengers per year. The building will be one of the world's largest, ADAC said.

The entire midfield terminal project is estimated to cost between Dh20 billion (US$5.4bn) to Dh30bn, and is scheduled for completion in 2016 or 2015.

In the meantime, ADAC is planning a number of enhancements at Abu Dhabi airport to create additional capacity to handle the growth of Etihad Airways, one of the world's fastest growing carriers.

igale@thenational.ae