Nagpur Airport will become a key Indian aviation hub if the Maharasthtra State Road Development Corporation approves a feasibility study and masterplan in October. The first phase of new international and domestic passenger and cargo facilities is due to be completed in 2006. In addition to two runways able to handle fully-laden Airbus A380s, integrated road and rail connections plus extensive warehousing, aircraft engineering, industrial and free trade zones are planned to draw airlines, shippers, couriers, manufacturers and investors. Construction has begun at Cleveland Airport in Ohio of a new 4,000m (9,000ft) parallel runway, which forms part of a $1.4 billion airport expansion programme. Cairo Airport Authority (CAA) has invited companies specialising in airport projects to apply to prequalify to become a partner in new construction schemes, including the Terminal 3 project at Cairo which has been declared a priority by President Mubarak. The selected partner will assist the CAA in financing, building and managing its new schemes. The Omani Government has shortlisted four consortiums - BAA, with Bahwan Trading; Copenhagen Airport Authority, Maersk and WJ Towell; Singapore Changi Airport, Manchester Airport, Bechtel and Zubair; Aeroports de Paris, Vinci, Dhofar al-Omani Bank and Assarain Enterprises in the competition to manage and operate Seeb (Muscat) and Salalah airports. The successful consortiums will hold a 75% stake in the newly privatised airports, with the Oman Government retaining 20% and Oman Aviation Services 5%. The winner will be announced in September. The US Federal Aviation Administration is to implement new measures to speed the environmental review process for airport runway construction. A bottleneck in environmental impact reviews has held up projects at major US airports with airline delays at an all-time high.
Source: Flight International
