KMV Projects wins ₹220 crore New Terminal Construction Contract for Belagavi Airport

Belgaum, India (Urban Transport News): In a significant development, KMV Projects Limited emerged as the lowest bidder for the civil construction of a new terminal at Belagavi Airport, also known as Belgaum Airport, situated in Karnataka.

Belagavi Airport's current domestic terminal, managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), spans 3,600 sq.m, accommodating 300 peak-hour passengers. The apron can handle up to six narrow-body aircraft, such as B737 and A320.

The proposed new terminal, equipped with four aerobridges, aims to elevate the airport's handling capacity to 2400 peak-hour passengers, evenly split between arrivals and departures. Upon operationalization, the existing terminal will be repurposed for arrivals, aligning with AAI's consultant Landrum and Brown's strategy to meet a traffic demand of 2.0 million passengers per annum (MPPA) until 2037.

In November 2023, AAI invited tenders for the civil construction contract, estimating the project cost at Rs. 265.04 crore, with a completion deadline of two years. The opening of technical bids in December 2023 revealed a pool of seven bidders, with KMV Projects submitting the lowest bid at Rs. 220.08 crore. This bid, considerably below AAI's estimate, positions KMV Projects favorably for the impending contract award, anticipated in the coming weeks.

Despite the absence of design renderings for the new terminal building online or in tender documents, AAI assures that the architectural design will incorporate local context, reflecting the region's geography, landmarks, culture, art, and architecture.

As illustrated in the airport's masterplan by Design Accord Consultants via AAI's tender documents, the new terminal building (depicted in peach color) will complement the existing terminal (in yellow color). This development sets the stage for preliminary groundwork to commence in Q2 2024, with full-fledged construction scheduled for Q3 2024.

AAI currently has several open tenders for the construction of new terminals, and upcoming technical bid opening dates include Darbhanga Airport on February 1, 2024; Varanasi Airport on February 2, 2024; Agra Airport on February 2, 2024; and Hisar Airport on February 13, 2024.