Six foreign contractors bid for Padang airport

JAKARTA (JP): The government will announce in December the winning developers of the Ketaping International Airport project in Padang, West Sumatra, an official said yesterday.

The head of the Ministry of Transportation's Padang office, Martunus Said, said the tender for the airport project opened in Jakarta yesterday.

He said six offshore firms were likely to enter their bids for the projects. They include three firms from Japan, and one each from South Korea, Italy and France.

"We hope to finish the process by December so construction can start soon," Martunus was reported by Antara as saying.

He said the airport project would cost about US$210 million.

He reiterated that Ketaping International Airport was not among projects delayed due to the prolonged currency turmoil in Indonesia.

Ketaping is about 25 kilometers west of Padang. The new airport, to replace the aging Tabing Airport, will have a 3,000- meter runway.

A group of tender participants and the Director General of Air Transportation Zainuddin Sikado were scheduled to inspect the site project on Nov. 4, Martunus said.

But if Tabing Airport is closed on Nov. 4 due to the haze, the group will take land transportation and arrive in Padang by Nov. 18. (icn)