GMR Megawide will partner with five UK companies to tackle the Mactan - Cebu International Airport New passenger terminal PPP project.

These companies are namely: ARUP (engineering and design services provider), WHSmith (retail group), G4S Security (integrated security services), Mott MacDonald (engineering and development consultancy), and Smiths Detection (designer and manufacturer of sensors that detect explosives and chemicals).

The selection was announced at an event with British Embassy Director for Trade and Investment, Mike Moon, and British Trade Envoy Richard Graham.

As we reported in early February, Philippines' Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to award the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project to the consortium formed by India's GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Construction Corporation.

The project includes the construction of a new passenger terminal 2 with an annual capacity of 8 million. The new terminal 2 will have three levels with a double sided pier spread over 43,398 m² with six contact gates to service 90% of international flights through boarding bridges, three-level in-line baggage screening system, four baggage carousels, 14 escalators and canopy coverage for airport village, ramps and taxi parking.

The project also involves the rehabilitation of the passenger terminal 1, and the operation of the whole airport facility for 25 years. Megawide and GMR aim to build an airport terminal that can accommodate 25 million passengers a year, more than three times the government requirement.

The total project investment is estimated at PHP17.52 billion (US$367 million).

The total passenger volume at Mactan-Cebu International Airport is expected to increase to 12.5 million by 2018 form the current level of 4.5 million.