Honduras PPP promotion agency, Coalianza, has plans to award the new Palmerola airport PPP project in September.

According to the President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, a total of nine companies are competing for the project. The companies are the following:

• Astaldi (Italia),
• Asur (México),
• Segasa (Honduras),
• Emco Terminales (Honduras),
• Amargo Correa (Brasil-Colombia),
• Hidalgo-Hidalgo (Ecuador),
• Cosapi (Perú),
• APP (Perú) and
• Agunsa (Chile).

The concession was awarded in January 2014 to Constructora de Servicios Aeroportuarios Integrados S.A. (SAISA) but the contract was canceled. According to sources, the delay to start the project was the reason to cancel the concession contract.

The new airport will be located 13 km from the city of Comayagua, on a former airbase on the major road between Honduras capital, Tegucigalpa, and San Pedro de Sula.

The project includes construction of runway shoulders, a new control tower, a 14,000 m² passenger terminal and a 1500 m² cargo terminal. The airport is expected to have a maximum capacity of 2.1 million passengers per year in 2045.

The project will be development on a design, build, finance, operation, maintenance and transfer (DBFOMT) basis. The concession period is 30 years.

The total project investment is estimated at US$135 million. The private partner will provide US$84 million, the remaining US$ 51 million will be provided by the Spanish government through the Honduras-Spain restructuring debt fund.

Spanish consultancy firm based in Barcelona, Advanced Logistic Group (ALG), carried out the initial project studies and specifications.