Colombia roundup: Cartagena airport progress, expansion of metro line

Infrastructure agency ANI declared the PPP project to build a new airport to serve Cartagena (CACI) to be of public utility and social interest

The project is backed by the companies Odinsa and Conecta Caribe.

The total estimated investment in the airport is 12tn pesos (US$2.74bn), according to figures from ANI.

The declaration of public interest is aimed at facilitating land management issues and interference that could arise with mining titles in the area where the new airport will be built, ANI said in a statement.

CACI will be built in Bayunca, 24km northeast of from the historic center of Cartagena, with access through Vía al Mar and La Cordialidad.

The new international terminal will cover around 17,000m² and will include a main area of almost 100,000m². Construction of a new airport is considered essential to meet future passenger demand.

The first phase includes building a landing strip, passenger terminal, a parallel taxiway and a platform with boarding bridges and remote positions, among other components.

The new airport is expected to handle up to 17mn passengers annually. The area will also include other developments in real estate, as well as commercial and logistics premises and residential housing.

Temporary consortium Validación IP Cartagena will carry out the consultancy for the comprehensive validation of the initiative, including assessment of the technical, environmental, social, property, legal, financial and risk components

The consortium is formed by Cal y Mayor Colombia (35%), Airia Ingeniería y Servicios (35%), Coral Delgado & Asociados (15%) and Estructuras en Finanzas (15%).

Bogotá metro

China Harbour Engineering Company Limited Colombia (CHEC), the concessionaire holding the contract to build line No. 1 of the Metro system in Colombia's capital, submitted a pre-feasibility document to the company Bogotá Metro to extend the line from Calle 72 to Calle 100.

The proposal is part of one of the goals of the Bogotá Camina Segura (Bogotá Walk Safely) District Plan 2024-27, Metro de Bogotá said in a statement.

The extension of the line would help improve mobility in the Colombian capital by connecting the metro with other transport systems, including the Avenida 68 corridor and the Regiotram del Norte network.

Bogotá Metro expressed its interest in and commitment to the study and the processing of the documents submitted by CHEC, which are subject to legal confidentiality.

Within three months, Bogotá Metro will announce whether the initiative has been accepted or rejected.