Tender invitations expected shortly from Bulgaria for Sofia Airport modernisation

Published: 1/4/2000

According to Petko Tabakov, Bulgarian Deputy Transport Minister, the invitation to tender for the contract to modernise Sofia Airport will shortly be issued. The final choice of contractor will be made around mid-2000, with construction scheduled to begin by the year-end. Tabakov, who is also head of the airport"s managing board, claimed that considerable interest has been shown by all the leading contractors, including 92 companies from Germnauy, Turkey, Spain, Italy and the UK. A shortlist will be drawn up of contenders that match the criteria set by Dutch consultants, NACO & SMS. Irish consultants, Air Rianta, have also been appointed to the project and will organise personnel management and training. NACO will supervise the construction, the first stage of which is estimated to cost €184m. This will include the building of a new passenger terminal, able to service 2.5m passengers per year, the construction of a new parking lot, the extension of the present runway and the construction of a new one. So far, funds have been provided by the EBRD (€60m), the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Development ($40m), €8m from the PHARE programme and around $800,000 by the Dutch government. The airport will put up $1.5m from its own funds and some $600m is expected from the European Union (EU) pre-accession funds. The second stage of the modernisation programme will involve the construction of a cargo terminal. Zeevi Group is almost certain to be a contender, given that the sales contract in the privatisation of Balkan Airlines, recently acquired by Zeevi Group, conferred the right to a favoured participation in the tenders for the construction, development and operation of the airport infrastructure. However, according to Wilhelm Kraus, Bulgarian Transport Minister, it is more likely that the Group would participate in the construction of a cargo terminal by taking it on concession. When it succeeded in its bid for Balkan Airlines, Zeevi confirmed its intention to participate in the building of the cargo terminal and, reportedly, to acquire a licence for servicing Sofia Airport. A longstanding interest by Siemens has historically failed to raise any funding and does not appear to be particularly viable. The modernisation programme should be completed in 2003. Partial reconstruction work has already begun. Some $6m has been invested in repairs which, when completed, will raise the category of the airport, through enabling aircraft to land on the runway even in adverse weather conditions. This will ensure that foreign airlines will continue to use the airport while the major reconstruction project is underway. In 1997, Sofia Airport serviced 1.13m passengers. This increased to 1.28m in 1998 and the upward trend is expected to continue. Associated article: www.concise.org. 28th July 1999

Article ID: 1266