Pilsen airport, 90km (56m) south west of Prague, Czech Republic, has been granted international status, subject to a runway extension and terminal building upgrade. The airport is operated by UK property developers Wiggins Group, which has also received a grant from the European Union to finance the upgrading of Schwerin-Parchim airport in northern Germany and has outlined plans to expand into the Middle East with a proposed airport project in Ajman, UAE. Libya has budgeted $800 million to upgrade its airports and air traffic control systems, says Taher Abdullah Burgan, director-general of the People's Committee for Civil Aviation. Siemens of Germany, Aeroport de Paris and Aeroporti di Roma have signed a memorandum of understanding for feasibility studies on the expansion of the international airports in Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk and Sirte. The design brief calls for a new international terminal building for each of the airports, costing a combined $650 million. Tripoli is also negotiating with the UK's BAE Systems a $150million upgrade of air traffic control systems and ground infrastructure at its 10 regional airports. Six foreign consortia are on a shortlist for a $323 million contract to construct a second terminal at Warsaw-Okecie international airport, increasing capacity to 12.5 million passengers a year from 4 million by 2004. Unpriced plans from all six are to be submitted to the airport operator PPL by the end of August. The new shortlist consists of consortia led by Skanska, French construction firm Bouygues, Hochtief of Germany, the Austrian group Strabag Polska, Ferrovial Agroman of Spain, and German firm Bilflinger and Berger. Three major consortia have lodged indicative bids for the privatisation sale of Sydney's Kingsford Smith (KSA) airport, which is expected to raise AU$4-5 billion ($2-2.5 million). The winning bidder will have first right of refusal for the development of Sydney's planned second airport at Badgerys' Creek.
Source: Flight International
