Terminal two in holding pattern
Excessive bureaucracy appears to have brought the projected construction of Warsaw's Okęcie Terminal II to a grinding halt. The new terminal could radically improve the passenger-handling capacity of the capital's airport and contribute to its hub role in the region.
Last July, the tender commission for the Polish Airports Authority (PPL) selected a construction consortium consisting of Spain's Ferrovial Agroman, architects Estudio Lamela and local general contractor Budimex, to construct the second terminal at Okęcie airport. The consortium beat Hochtief and Strabag with what turned out to be the lowest bid, of €200 million. Although the losers have challenged the result of the tender, last September the Infrastructure Ministry announced it had found no irregularities in the commission's procedures.
When completed, the 100,000-square-metre terminal will have the capacity to handle 6.5 million passengers a year, while the current terminal handles an average of 3.5 million passengers annually. The contract also stipulates the construction of the terminal must be completed within 36 months after the signing of the deal.
The delay could take up to several months, according to Budimex spokesman Waldemar Mierzwa, due to the increasing number of permits from various local and national authorities, which the general contractor is obliged to procure before the first spade can hit the ground. Mierzwa gave assurances that the required completion date of autumn 2005 has not been altered, and added that the contractor has taken bureaucratic hindrances into consideration in its itinerary.
"We thought that things would go a little smoother, and everyone wanted to increase the air-traffic flow in Okęcie," he said. "But we were prepared for it, and we are optimistic about delivering the terminal on time."
PPL representatives were not available for comment.
Meanwhile, the voivodship office has been busy designating the safety area around the airport perimeter. Lack of such a regulation, which takes factors such as noise and pollution into consideration, would slow down the construction of the new terminal even further.
The "zones of limited use," as the safety areas are dubbed, could prove to be a blessing in disguise for those already living close to the airport. Any further construction in the immediate proximity of the airport will be forbidden, and inhabitants will have a chance to move elsewhere to better quality locations.
Last July, the tender commission for the Polish Airports Authority (PPL) selected a construction consortium consisting of Spain's Ferrovial Agroman, architects Estudio Lamela and local general contractor Budimex, to construct the second terminal at Okęcie airport. The consortium beat Hochtief and Strabag with what turned out to be the lowest bid, of €200 million. Although the losers have challenged the result of the tender, last September the Infrastructure Ministry announced it had found no irregularities in the commission's procedures.
When completed, the 100,000-square-metre terminal will have the capacity to handle 6.5 million passengers a year, while the current terminal handles an average of 3.5 million passengers annually. The contract also stipulates the construction of the terminal must be completed within 36 months after the signing of the deal.
The delay could take up to several months, according to Budimex spokesman Waldemar Mierzwa, due to the increasing number of permits from various local and national authorities, which the general contractor is obliged to procure before the first spade can hit the ground. Mierzwa gave assurances that the required completion date of autumn 2005 has not been altered, and added that the contractor has taken bureaucratic hindrances into consideration in its itinerary.
"We thought that things would go a little smoother, and everyone wanted to increase the air-traffic flow in Okęcie," he said. "But we were prepared for it, and we are optimistic about delivering the terminal on time."
PPL representatives were not available for comment.
Meanwhile, the voivodship office has been busy designating the safety area around the airport perimeter. Lack of such a regulation, which takes factors such as noise and pollution into consideration, would slow down the construction of the new terminal even further.
The "zones of limited use," as the safety areas are dubbed, could prove to be a blessing in disguise for those already living close to the airport. Any further construction in the immediate proximity of the airport will be forbidden, and inhabitants will have a chance to move elsewhere to better quality locations.
