Almaty International Airport plans $140 million expansion

Almaty International Airport plans to spend $140.8 million in upcoming years to build a new terminal, reconstruct runways and improve food service.

The airport is the largest in Kazakhstan and was built in 1935. It accounts for half of the passenger traffic and 68 percent of cargo traffic in Kazakhstan.

The airport’s existing Very Important Person (VIP) terminal is registered as a local monument and, therefore, cannot be demolished. As a result, airport authorities have had to consider other options for expansion.

According to Almaty International Airport Vice President Alexander Gordeyev, these options will be approved by 2020.

“There is a need for additional terminal areas, but there is also the issue of land use regulation. That is, there is a part of the land that does not belong to the airport, so this is being addressed at the state level,” the airport’s press service stated. “Overall, the first stage of the airport’s expansion of 40,000 square metres will allow it to smoothly function over the next 20 years.”

The airport’s terminal area has a capacity of 1,600 passengers per hour and is 24,000 square metres, which has been deemed insufficient during the airport’s rush hours.

The airport’s area where passengers access aircraft boarding after border control and inspection has also been deemed insufficient during flight waiting times.

The airport’s airfield capacity is eight to ten flights per hour. To increase this capacity to 20 flights per hour, the airport plans to build two connecting runways and repair its existing runways.

New food service facilities will also be built. The existing facilities were built during the Soviet era. The new facilities will increase food service capacity from 8,000 portions per day to 25,000 portions per day.

“The estimated cost of the airport’s development includes the construction of a new terminal building at 4 billion tenge (US$10.94 million), a new catering department building at 3.5 billion tenge (US$9.57 million), Runway 1 modernisation at 6 billion tenge (US$16.4 million), Runway 2 modernisation at 8 billion tenge (US$21.87 million) and terminal expansion in the amount of at least 30 billion tenge (US$82.02 million),” according to the airport’s press service.

Source: The Astana Times

Langkawi Airport expansion will boost passenger growth

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is confident that the expansion of the Langkawi International Airport (LGK) will further facilitate its passenger growth.

Acting Group Chief Executive Officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin said several foreign airlines had expressed their interest to operate from the airport.

“In 2017, LGK registered 2.7 million passenger traffic movements, with a 14.6 per cent increase in international passengers.

“From January to June 2018, international passenger traffic movement increased by 23.9 per cent compared with the same period in 2017,” he said in a statement today.

The year-long expansion project, which began in October 2017, has increased the airport’s capacity from 1.5 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 4.0 mppa.

Raja Azmi said six airlines were currently operating from LGK, flying to four domestic destinations and five international destinations, with a combined weekly frequency of 238 flights.

The expansion has increased the total gross floor area of LGK’s terminal building from 15,000 sqm to 23,000 sqm, and its facilities have also been upgraded to reduce congestion and improve operational efficiencies.

Source: MalayMail

NOTE: The expansion project for Langkawi International Airport (LGK) has been completed and opened for operations on 1 September 2018 at 6 am.

Eiffage plans to bid for Lille airport privatisation in H2

Eiffage plans to bid to operate the Lille airport in northern France in a privatisation process to be launched in the second half of this year, Chief Executive Benoit de Ruffray said on Thursday.

Rival French construction and concessions company Vinci has won concession contracts to operate airports in Europe, Asia and Latin America and has made airports one its key businesses.

De Ruffray said his company had also bid to upgrade and operate a motorway in central France that would require a 600 million euro ($701.34 million) investment.

Eiffage on Wednesday reported a half-year profit that beat analyst forecasts buoyed by new infrastructure contracts in the Paris region and a rise in revenue from its motorway business.

Source: Nasdaq

NOTE:  Lille Airport belongs to a Joint Association, the SMALIM (Joint Association of Lille and Merville Airports), a legal entity under public law. This Joint Association is made up as follows: Nord – Pas de Calais Regional Council (60%), Lille Metropolitan Urban Community (34%) and Flanders Lys Community of Communes (6%).

Lille Airport has been managed and operated by SOGAREL (the Lille Regional Airport Management Company) under a 10-year Public Service Contract.

SOGAREL is a private group whose shareholders are the CCI Hauts de France (61%), Transdev (34%) and SANEF (5%).