The Hindu Business Line : L&T, Hong Kong co bag Hyderabad airport orders

MAKING headway in the international airport project, the Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL) has awarded two major works contracts to Larsen &Toubro and Hong Kong-based China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd (CSCEHK) totalling Rs 1,110 crore.

While the Indian construction major won the Rs 495-crore ALS (Airside and Landside) works contract, CSCEHK bagged PTB (Passenger Terminal Building) works contract worth Rs 615 crore.

The contract, signed by L&T and Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL), envisages project completion in 30 months, a news release from L&T said. The airport is expected to be open to traffic by 2008.

L&T will construct the runway, taxiway and aprons to accommodate wide-body planes, including new generation aircraft, such as the A380. L&T will also build the cargo terminal building, ground handling workshops and other buildings. The contract also covers development of airfield ground lighting system and fire station, installation of the aviation hydrant system and the security perimeter.

The Hong Kong company would construct the fully operational terminal building area of over one lakh sq. metres. This would include building structure, information technology and security systems and ATC tower with adjacent technical building.

The two contracts would be executed in 30 months, including a three-month airport operational trial period, a GMR release said. The HIAL hopes to achieve the financial closure by this month-end and make the airport operational by 2008.

The GMR group holds a majority stake (63 per cent) in the Rs 1,418-crore HIAL project. The other stakeholders are Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11 per cent), Government of Andhra Pradesh (13 per cent) and Airports Authority of India (13 per cent).

The company release said that the two companies were selected following an international competitive tender bidding that attracted 35 companies from 12 countries. Of these, seven tenders were qualified for ALS works and six for PTB works.

"After an intensive tender period the contracts were awarded to the two companies in the two categories," it said.

CSCEHK is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China State Construction International Holdings Ltd, the flagship construction company of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation.

On awarding the contract to CSCEHK, the company said it had completed more than 500 projects, including Hong Kong International Airport and airports at Hainan, Guilin and Xiamen in China.

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