Five bid for Tocumen airport expansion

Panama's Tocumen international airport operator has received five bids for the third and final phase of its expansion project, the airport's coordinator for international projects, José Manuel Sánchez told BNamericas. The lowest bid - for US$22.3mn - comes from the consortium comprised of Ingenieros Geotécnicos, Asfaltos Panameños and Conalvías. The other four consortiums were Corporación MYS and FCC Construcción; Constructora San José, Contratos Industrias y Materiales, Ingeniería y Economía del Transporte, and Almacenadora Nacional; Consorcio Conconcreto-Termotécnica Tocumen; and Constructora Urbana, he said, confirming local press reports. "All proposals will now be reviewed by the evaluation committee; if the lowest bidder's proposal is sound, they will win the contract," he said. "I'd be willing to say that they will win the contract." The bid, which covers the design and construction of runways and other related infrastructure, may be awarded as early as this week, he added. The entire project to upgrade and expand airport infrastructure will allow the airport to serve passengers for another 8-10 years, increasing capacity from handling 1,500 passengers an hour at peak times to more than 3,000 passengers/h. Tocumen is just outside Panama City and is the hub for national flag carrier Copa Airlines, which accounts for 1.2 million passengers a year, or 70% of the airport's traffic.