THE NEW Paphos airport will start operating at the end of 2004, while Larnaca’s new airport should be up and running at the beginning of 2005, Communications Minister Averoff Neophytou said yesterday.
Neophytou stressed that work on the airports would begin in the second semester of 2003, adding that the winning bid would be announced before the end of the year and no extension would be given to the deadline – October 25 — for the submission of tenders.
“I would like to reassure you, once more, that during this period of preparation of your tenders, we will assist you at every stage in order to enable each one to submit the best possible bid.
“I would also like to make it clear and underline that he government does not intend to grant any extension of time, regarding the deadline of the submission of the tenders, because of the importance we attach to the early completion of this project,” Neophytou said.
The five consortiums competing for the build, operate, transfer (BOT) contracts are Alterra Consortium, Cyprus Gateway Airports, Hermes Airports, Project Pegasus, and the J&P Led Consortium.
Speaking at a two-day seminar organised to brief the representatives of the consortiums, Neophytou noted that Cyprus’ position offered great opportunities for Larnaca airport to become a regional, or sub-regional hub.
“On the crossroad of four different civilisations and cultures, it can easily become the hub to serve people travelling from Europe to Asia or the Middle East or from North Asia and Eastern Europe to the Middle East or Africa,” Neophytou said.
The representatives are scheduled to visit the two airports today and have all necessary information at their disposal by August 19.
The consortiums are going to have a final meeting with the government early in September to iron out the details before they submit their bids, Neophytou said.
Neophytou said there was an unprecedented worldwide interest about the airports with the biggest “players” of the world construction industry as well as airport management participating in the consortiums.
“We are advancing with consistency and solid steps in carrying out this big programme of airport modernisation as well as turning into action the decades-old vision for Cyprus to have European airports,” Neophytou said.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
