A new tender connected to the $1-billion Bahrain International Airport (BIA) expansion will be issued by Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) in three weeks, it has emerged.

Chief executive Mohamed Al Binfalah told the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication, yesterday (April 1) that nine firms have pre-qualified to submit bids for developing and operating all of the new airport's IT systems.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Airport Development Forum and the second Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics Exhibition 2015 at the Gulf Hotel's Gulf Convention Centre.

The forum and exhibition were opened by Civil Aviation Affairs acting under-secretary Ahmed Al Nemah, who said BIA had seen eight to nine per cent growth in both passengers and cargo last year - with similar growth levels expected this year.

The cost of deploying and managing the airport's IT systems is estimated at more than $100 million, sources said.

Companies in the running for the contract include Sita, Lockheed Martin, Thales and UAE-Bahrain joint venture Bayanat Almoayed ICT.

They are all participating in the exhibition and representatives said they wanted to show their commitment to the project.

Al Binfalah revealed enabling works, the first phase of the airport expansion, had already started with construction due to commence next month.

It was announced earlier that Cyprus Building and Road Construction Company won the $3.68-million contract for general civil engineering works which involves relocation of utility services away from the footprint of the existing terminal, leading to the relocation of the existing Bahrain Airport Services facilities, including maintenance workshops, vehicle fuelling stations and training facilities in the second phase.

The first phase is expected to be completed by November and tenders for the second phase will be awarded next month.

The new passenger terminal is expected to be completed by 2018 and will cover 201,467 sq m, making it four times the size of the existing terminal and able to accommodate 14 million passengers a year.

It will feature a 4,600-sq-m departure hall with 108 check-in counters, 24 passport control booths and 28 security lanes.

The Duty Free will be expanded to 9,000 sq m, while the terminal's air bridges will be increased from seven to 25.

Arrivals will feature 36 passport control booths, five e-gates, eight baggage reclaim belts and a 1,000-sq-m Duty Free, as well as a 7,000 capacity car park.

Construction of 18 airport stands will also allow for the handling of 64 aircraft at any one time.

Last year, the Transportation Ministry invited contractors to pre-qualify for the construction of the terminal and other buildings.

The main contractor will be responsible for managing subcontractors delivering the baggage handling system, passenger loading bridges and all of the airport's IT systems.

A tender was also floated for specialist IT equipment and ultra-low voltage systems.

The expansion project is funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and managed by consultancy Hill International.

ADPI (Aéroports de Paris Ingénierie) is the design and supervision consultant and expects to net around $27 million in revenue from the project over five years. - TradeArabia News Service