Namibia: Government approves N$245m for Hosea Kutako International Airport upgrade

Government has approved a N$245 million upgrade for the Hosea Kutako International Airport, Namibia Airports Company (NAC) board chairperson, Leake Hangala announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at a media briefing, Hangala said of the total amount, N$95,2 million will be from the NAC’s resources, while the remaining N$149,8 million will come from Government as the main stakeholder.
Hangala said the upgrade will include the revamping and modernising of the check-in and departure halls, security screening points, arrival halls and luggage handling areas, as well as ventilation systems.
Further upgrades will be made on the installation of a closed-circuit television system, intrusion detection systems, introduction of the latest technology and software systems related to self check-in and screening machines for passengers and luggage.
“The airport has reached its limit concerning capacity and therefore requires urgent expansion and upgrading to meet the demands of increasing aircraft and passenger numbers, as well as more stringent international security and safety requirements,” he said.
Hangala said the Hosea Kutako International Airport was constructed in 1985 to handle 250 000 passengers per year, however, at present the airport deals with nearly one million travellers per annum as the popularity of Namibia as a tourist and business destination continues to rise.
Hangala further noted that a local company, Kerry McNamara Architects was appointed to design the project for the airport upgrade, adding that a contractor on site is anticipated by March 2019 and full completion by October next year.

Source: Namibian Broadcasting Corporation

City reveals shortlist of architects vying to design $8.5B O’Hare expansion

After receiving bids from twelve groups that included some of the planet’s top architectural talent, Chicago has narrowed its search down to five teams hoping to design a $8.5 billion terminal expansion of O’Hare International Airport.

The bid shortlist is headlined by local giant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Chicago-based Studio Gang, Spanish-born starchitect Santiago Calatrava, London’s Foster + Partners, and Colorado-based Fentress Architects. The Foster bid is supplemented by additional Chicago talent from Epstein and JGMA while the Studio Gang-headed effort partners with designers at Corgan Associates, STL Architects, and Solomon Cordwell Buenz.

Perhaps equally impressive is the number of architectural heavyweights comprising the seven bids that did not make the cut. Notable names left off the shortlist include Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Perkins+Will, HOK, Gensler, Grimshaw Architects, Studio Fuksas, FGP Atelier, Goettsch Partners, and Rafael Viñoly.

Arguably most surprising is the exclusion of Chicago’s own Helmut Jahn, whose eponymous firm designed O’Hare’s iconic two-concourse Terminal 1. Passing over a local team with such close ties to the existing airport suggests officials have a desire to take O’Hare in a “new architectural direction,” wrote Chicago Tribune columnist Blair Kamin.

The remaining architects will compete to design the O’Hare Global Terminal, a massive complex that will replace the aging Terminal 2. The new facility is part of the City of Chicago’s ambitious O’Hare 21 initiative which represents the airport’s first major overhaul in 25 years. It will join a planned expansion of Terminal 5 and renovations to Terminals 1 and 3.

The city hopes to complete the massive, multiphase project by 2026.

Source: Curbed Chicago

£12m Leeds Bradford Airport expansion plan submitted: New arrivals hall, departure gates and shops in terminal extension

Long-awaited plans to build a new arrivals hall as part of a £12m expansion at Leeds Bradford Airport have been submitted. Airport bosses say the upgrades would cut delays at peak times, boost efficiency and help it attract «a greater range of airlines» to Leeds.

Lodged by Deloitte Real Estate on behalf of airport owners AMP Capital, the plans are seeking permission from Leeds City Council to build a 4,003sq metre two to three-storey extension to the main terminal. It will include an «improved» arrivals hall, new departure gates, seating area and more food, drink and retail shops.

Source: Yorkshire Evening Post

Brazil: Government approves concession of 12 airports in three regions

The federal government will transfer 12 airports to the private sector through a concession process. The decision. published in the Federal Official Gazette on Monday (5), was taken by the Council of the Investment Partnerships Programme of the Presidency of the Republic.

According to the resolution authorising the process, the concessions will be tendered in three blocks, one each for the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast regions. The concession period will be of 30 years for all blocks and airports.

The concession model is interesting for the country because it generates investments, creates jobs and improves services to consumers in the terminals, while allowing the government to receive a fee for each airport.

Check out the list of airports to be awarded

Northeast Block

* Recife International Airport/Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre

* Zumbi dos Palmares Airport – Maceió

* Santa Maria Airport – Aracaju

* Presidente Castro Pinto Airport – João Pessoa

* Orlando Bezerra de Menezes Airport – Juazeiro do Norte

* Presidente João Suassuna Airport – Campina Grande

Midwest Block

* Marechal Rondon Airport – Cuiabá

* Maestro Marinho Franco Airport – Rondonópolis

* Pilot Osvaldo Marques Dias Airport – Alta Floresta

* President João Batista Figueiredo Airport – Sinop

Southeast Block

* Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport – Vitória

* Macaé Airport (SBME) – Rio de Janeiro

PPI

The Investment Partnerships Programme (PPI) was created in 2016 aiming to improve the country’s services and infrastructure through partnerships between the federal government and the private sector. In the case of airports, the concessions started in 2011, leading to increased quality and compliance with international standards. Concession contracts are inspected by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).