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The influx of airport development programmes in the Middle East is set to revolutionise the region's aviation industry. However, with the grand scale of projects such as Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, what are the key factors in ensuring the successful management of airport construction?

Reflecting the immense growth in regional air traffic, many of the Middle East's airports are undergoing major expansion and modernisation plans to enhance their facilities in this increasingly competitive market.

Effective construction management and planning are crucial to the success of any airport expansion, particularly to ensure that developments run to schedule and avoid any potential loss of revenue to the management company.

Whilst some contributing factors leading to delay can be beyond the airport's control, stringent and meticulous planning and management is imperative to ensure a smooth construction process from start to finish.

One of the major Middle East airports currently undergoing an extensive US$6.8 billion development and expansion programme is Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Managed under the watchful eye of SCADIA (supervision committee for the expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport), a team of consultants including planners, programme managers, aviation specialists and designers, have been brought together to put into action the visionary masterplan of the airport's expansion.

From October 2006 to April 2007 the facility successfully completed two additional terminals as a quick interim solution to its burgeoning air traffic volume. "We have already delivered a fast track full terminal - T2 in record time, six months," states Graham Bland, project director for SCADIA."

Terminal 3, which will cater for an additional 5 million passengers, will be opened in stages.

"We are avoiding the big bang approach of Heathrow Terminal 5 and have chosen a steady approach, with a number of gates opening within a month or two," adds Andrew Chupeau, senior media officer at Abu Dhabi Airports Company.

The third terminal, dedicated for the national carrier Etihad Airways, is expected to be fully operational by October 2008.

Further plans are in progress to build a mega Midfield Terminal Complex, due to become operational at the end of 2010, which promises to boost the airport's capacity to around 20 million passengers and more.

SCADIA's Bland identifies several key aspects that have contributed to the success of the region's airport expansion to date. "Continuous government support is one of the factors, as is having a strategic vision and direction," he says.

"The delegation of the day to day decision making to the project director, with financial authority and autonomy under a controlled procedure, is also important."

Indeed, the clear designation of roles and responsibilities is at the heart of successful airport development in order to avoid some of the usual pitfalls leading to costly delays in construction.

Many of the Middle East airports have learnt from the experiences of other major airports throughout the world, and are applying these progressive ways of working to their own projects.

"We need to develop partnerships with contractors, rather than have the traditional owner-contractor working relationships," stipulates Bland.

"Creating a risk free contracting structure such as that implemented for Heathrow Terminal 5, for example, can also help to avoid delays. By adopting a transparent and strict PQ process, the airport development can ensure the most capable contractors become prime contractors, and that they have accountability for their involvement."

Ensuring the quality and accountability of contractors and suppliers involved in the airport construction project becomes even more important due to the numbers of different parties involved in the whole process.

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