Myanmar’s Department of Civil Aviation says it will choose either the South Korean Incheon Airport Consortium, or the Singapore-based Yongnam, CAPE, JGC Consortium to build the new Hanthawady International Airport.
According to aviation sources, other international tenders such as Japan-based TAI SAE Corporation and Franch VINCI Airport failed to revise their financing plans a condition for the final selection round.
The department’s director general, Tin Naing Tun, said Incheon Airport and Yongnam submitted renewed financial proposals.
“We are now reviewing their financial proposals. One of them will be choosen to build the new Hanthawady International Airport.”
After initial negotiations with the Incheon consortium failed in March, the DCA said the project could not be completed by 2016 as earlier anticipated. It reviewed tender conditions and called on short-listed companies to present revised financial proposals. It could result in the airport opening as late as 2020.
Myanmar has three international airports; Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. Yangon International Airport is regarded as the country’s main gateway, but is fast reaching its capacity ceiling.
The proposed new airport is located on a 9,000-acre (3,642-hectare) site about 48 miles (77 km) northeast of Yangon in Bago. Preliminary work on the Hanthawaddy airport began in March 1994 when land was cleared, but work stopped in early 2003 without any construction firm being appointed.
Hanthawaddy will be able to handle 10 million passengers a year once completed, but could grow to triple that size over 20 years.
With the new airport nowhere in sight, Yangon International Airport, will need to expand capacity from 2.7 million passengers a year to 3.5 million in 2015, and 6 million a year by 2019.
