Aena approves contracts worth almost 90 million for Malaga Airport's expansion
The board of directors of the Spanish airports operator has given the green light to a second tender for technical assistance to oversee future work on the terminals at the gateway to the Costa del Sol
In flying terms, the expansion of Malaga Airport is already taxiing on the runway and starting to accelerate to reach take-off speed. Moreover, it is doing so with a pace processing rarely seen in a project of this magnitude.
Spanish airports operator Aena's board of directors has given the green light to the tender for the technical assistance for the management of all the projects related to the extension of the terminal area. The base budget is almost 52.16 million euros.
The bids provided by the consultancy companies interested in the project supervision are already being studied.
Million-euro investment
Aena has already earmarked around 90 million euros for the first steps of the refurbishment of the Malaga infrastructure, if we add the 36.5 million euros earmarked for the drafting of the projects.
Few infrastructures that are currently under way in Malaga province reach such figures, including the extension of the metro to Hospital Civil; the construction of the new hospital; the IMEC microchip factory; and the renovation of the Bobadilla-Algeciras railway line.
Proposals have come from four joint ventures of engineering and architectural companies: Viarium Ingeniería with Ayesa; Typsa, Ghesa and Blas Torres Gutiérrez; Cemosa, Sener and Fairbanks Arquitectos; and Prointec, Ove Arup and Estudio Lamela. They are competing to sign the contract for the "most ambitious" step in the transformation of Malaga Airport "since the inauguration of T3 in 2010".
"The technical assistance tasks will contribute to the roadmap for the design and subsequent development of the planned works, making this a fundamental step. This is even more important considering that the airport will remain operational while the work is carried out, so these tasks will be essential to ensure diligent execution and to minimise disruption to the daily operations of the facilities," Aena said.
Expansion characteristics
The work planned aims to adapt the capacity of the terminal area to demand, which has grown exponentially since the pandemic, with 20 million passengers in the last nine months and a forecast to close the year at around 27 million. Another objective is to streamline airport processes. Therefore, the goal is dual: provide the airport with the capacity to meet future growth and do so with a focus on quality, optimising the experience of passengers and airlines.
The plan includes all the necessary actions to almost double the surface area of the terminal space. Among the tasks are the construction of a new dock for non-Schengen traffic with centralised border control; the increase in aircraft contact positions (allowing passengers to board and disembark via gangways); an increase in the surface area for security control; and the redesign of the baggage handling system to facilitate the work of handling employees.
Also noteworthy is the 41% (43% in the case of VIP lounges) increase planned in the surface area for commercial activity in the terminal. On the airfield, new taxiways will be constructed to connect the runways with the aircraft parking apron, improving the flow of aircraft movement.
On the other hand, the two runways should have sufficient capacity to cope with the increase in demand for many years to come. In addition, outdoor areas, access and car parks will be improved and/or extended.
The project has been included in the proposal of the next airport regulation document (Dora III) for the 2027-2031 period.
