China's Suzhou Anta Scaffolding Engineering Company (Anta Scaffolding) has been selected as a specialised scaffolding contractor for part of the scaffolding works on the Al Maktoum International Airport project in Dubai. 

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company, is one of the main contractors delivering the underground structural works for the airport's Phase I expansion, and Anta Scaffolding is taking on part of the scaffolding scope tied to that package.

Al Maktoum International Airport is being built by the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects Agency (DAEP) as part of the Dubai World Central development, and it's being planned as one of the largest aviation hubs anywhere. 

Public project information puts the full development at roughly 70 sq km, about five times the footprint of the current Dubai International Airport, with five parallel runways, five terminal buildings and 400 boarding gates. 

At full capacity, the airport is expected to handle up to 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year. Total investment runs to roughly AED128 billion ($35 billion), with Phase I targeted for completion by 2032.

DAEP formally selected CHEC to lead a major infrastructure package for the Phase I expansion. Given the size and the timeline, construction is expected to run for the better part of a decade and will need a large, multi-contractor workforce throughout. For Anta Scaffolding, participation in a project of this scale provides a significant reference for its growing portfolio of international infrastructure work.

The Chinese scaffolding contractor said construction work was already under way. The project team has been mobilised, personnel and equipment are on site, and work is progressing across the assigned scope, it stated.

"China Harbour Engineering is one of the main contractors delivering the underground structural works for this project, and we're taking on part of the associated scaffolding works as a specialized contractor," remarked Lane Pan, a representative of Anta Scaffolding. 

"Our project team is already mobilized. Personnel, equipment and materials are on site. This is the kind of project where you get to prove what your engineering experience is actually worth," stated Pan.

Anta Scaffolding's current scope covers scaffolding works tied to the underground structural construction, including work related to the baggage handling centre and underground tunnel sections. 

"Scaffolding on a job like this isn't just staging. It's what keeps access, structural support and work sequencing moving in step with everything else happening underground," he added.-TradeArabia News Service