Transport

Iraq plans to double Baghdad airport capacity

Iraq plans to double capacity at Baghdad International Airport to 15 million passengers per year, the head of the country's civil aviation authority said. After years of sanctions and war, Iraq plans billions of dollars of investment to rebuild and expand infrastructure and facilitate economic growth. The government plans to add three new terminals at the airport, each capable of handling 2.5 million passengers per year each, said Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) Director General Adnin Blebil. "We have to do it, we need more capacity," Blebil said. Iraq was hoping to generate interest from foreign investors in the plans, he said on the sidelines of an event in the emirate of Dubai. He declined to say how much investment the expansion would need. Baghdad international airport currently manages around seven million passengers a year. The war-damaged country hopes that a series of oil deals struck recently with international companies would help generate the cash it desperately needs to rebuild. But many of its ambitious plans fall short of sufficient funding and Iraq is trying to encourage foreign investments flow into the country. The three terminals that already exist at Baghdad Airport would also be overhauled, Blebil said. Each existing terminal also has capacity to handle 2.5 million passengers per year. The ICAA was also considering plans to increase capacity at the airport in the southern oil hub of Basra, and to build a new international airport in the north near Mosul, he added.

32 firms vie for railway project in Oman

More than 32 international companies are applying to win for a railway project in the Sultanate of Oman. An Omani official source said that among companies that are applying for the railway project are international outfits from Britain, Russia, France, Germany, Malaysia, America and China, noting that the project comes within the project of a railway of the GCC. He noted that the pre-qualification process is a preliminary step before a final selection of companies to begin the project on the ground. He explained that the design estimated for a year-and-a-half with the entire project will be implemented in six years, explaining that the project will have a large impact in different fields and contribute to strengthening the economic integration of GCC countries. He said that Oman has examined all aspects of the project, including the train and the type of energy (diesel or electricity) that is used to activate and run the train. The Ministry of Transport and Communications revealed at the beginning of this year that it had completed the preparation of a feasibility study for the special part in the Sultanate in the draft railway that links the GCC countries. It is about 1,940 kilometers length of which 306 kilometers that links Oman and the United Arab Emirates and the rest of it links all GCC countries.

Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Metro will have 20 trains

Speaking to reporters after inspecting the metro, which is also called Mashair Railway, Prince Mansour allayed public fears about the quality of the project, adding that it involves French, Canadian and German technology. The project, covering 18 kilometers, is in the final stages of construction. Thirty-five per cent of its capacity would be used during this year's Haj season. It will have 20 trains next year when it operates with full capacity. Each train will have 12 carriages. The project includes construction of nine railway stations in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa, each 300 meters long. One station will be located near the Jamrat Bridge in Mina where the stoning ritual takes place. Pilgrims will be able to board the train from the bridge's fourth floor. The railway project would bring about remarkable improvements in the transportation of pilgrims between the holy sites, one of the main headaches for Saudi Haj managers. A test drive on the new railway is to take place on August 1st.

Bahrain planning buyout of stalled Sama Dubai resort

Bahrain wants to buy out Sama Dubai's stalled project to build a luxury seashore resort in its capital city Manama, a senior official said. Sama Dubai, a unit of Dubai Holding, began the US$545 million Salam Beach Resort and Spa project in November 2005. Construction stopped in January last year, according to Middle East Economic Digest. Bahraini investors are in talks with Sama Dubai, Mohammed Bin Essa al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, said in an interview in Manama. Sama didn't respond to a request for comment immediately. Sama Dubai said it's committed to projects in Morocco and Oman after officials from those countries said construction had stopped. Sama pulled out of the US$3 billion Amwaj development in Morocco and work was halted on the US$1.7 billion Salam development in Oman, tourism ministry officials said. Dubai Holding, a company owned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and its units owe banks US$12 billion and have begun talks to roll over some of the loans, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Bahrain has seen real estate projects by companies from the UAE run into financing difficulties because of the property crash in Dubai, said al Khalifa.