The Supervision Committee for the Expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport (Scadia) is currently prequalifying contractors for the construction of a new runway at Abu Dhabi International Airport, as part of the airport’s Dh21 billion ($6.8 billion) expansion programme, according to Hanan Sayed Worrell, projects manager, Scadia, which is managing the multi-phase project.

Worrel was updating delegates on the project at one of the seminars at the recent Airport Build exhibition.
The tendering for the bid package, NRTW-1008-CN, was among the first to be released under the mega project. The 4,100 m runway is the second for Abu Dhabi International Airport and is expected to cater for the latest generation of aircraft – including the new Airbus A380. The runway is currently undergoing rough grading works, industry sources said. The package is to commence in the second half of this year, with phased handover of the site from a rough grading contractor.
The next few weeks will see more key developments in the five-year project.
Ten leading international airport terminal design consultants are currently being interviewed for the job of designing a major new midfield passenger terminal. From these, four to five will be short-listed to enter a design competition for the new terminal complex shortly. Another shortlist of consultants is being developed for the new 110 m air traffic control tower which will include all the new navigational, visual and radar control systems. 
The airport's masterplan has been designed by the US-based Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), while another US firm Parsons International has been assigned project management contract.
Worrell said the Abu Dhabi airport expansion – which will create a capacity for handling 20 million passengers per year initially, and ultimately for 50 million passengers a year, while doubling the existing airport land area in Abu Dhabi to 3,400 hectares – is moving ahead rapidly. An interim 8,000 sq m terminal is set to open in August capable of handling up to two million passengers per year. Terminal 2, a quick solution to air traffic volumes which have outgrown the current terminal, is going from the drawing board to reality in a matter of months.