COWI lands fourth major airport development project 

Despite the drop in demand within the consultancy sector in terms of airport construction projects as a consequence of 11 September 2001, COWI has continued to successfully show growth and results.. The latest order for two new airports in Oman is the fourth major airport project in which COWI is currently involved.

COWI Business Unit Director Peter Hostrup Rasmussen, Railways, Roads and Airports comments: "We have succeeded in keeping the entire organisation going thanks to our international marketing and professional breadth. Whereas others are purely airport consultants, we are one of the few international consultancy firms to offer virtually all the disciplines required in connection with an airport project. For instance, the project in Oman required experience with runways, control towers, terminal buildings, road systems, environment and economy."

"Airport construction is highly complex and interdependent with many aspects to consider: security, comfort, passenger flow etc. However being involved in designing the airport from scratch enables us to adopt a broad-based and flexible approach from the very first sketches right through from planning to operation,” explains COWI Business Unit Director Henrik Rossen, Building and Operation.

Diversified assignments

COWI is presently successfully completing a sizeable airport assignment in the Philippines in collaboration with Dutch company NACO. The project includes the expansion of six domestic airports in the southern Philippines.

In 2001 COWI won an assignment in Sofia to carry out new runway inspections, and in 2004 COWI was contracted to build a completely new airport in Hyderabad, India. This project being privately financed in the so-called BOT project format.

Leading consultant

For the Oman airport projects COWI is the main consultant and together with Larsen Architects is responsible for the entire process – from concept to finished airport. It is unusual for the consultant to be contracted for every phase of the project particularly at such an early stage.

Adds Peter Hostrup Rasmussen: "Where airports are concerned, it is difficult to form a geographical strategy and focus on individual countries. As with the market for major bridges, we have to go where the customers are."

By Christina Tækker, cht@cowi.dk

Posted 21.01.2005