Expansion of construction works at the Queen Alia international airport

J&P-AVAX SA announces the expansion of works for the construction of QUEEN ALIA International Airport in Jordan.

In November 2007, the government of Jordan signed with Consortium AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL GROUP (AIG) a 25-year concession contract for the operation, maintenance, expansion, rehabilitation and upgrading of QUEEN ALIA International Airport.

Airport International Group, the concessionaire, comprises the following companies and their respective participations:

• Invest AD from the UAE (38%)
• Noor Financial Investment Company from Kuwait (24%)
• EDGO Group from Jordan (9.5%)
• J&P AVAX SA from Greece (9.5%)
• J&P Overseas Ltd from Cyprus (9.5%)
• Aeroport De Paris Management from France (9.5%)

The construction project was budgeted at around €500 million and was awarded to J&P-AVAX SA and J&P Overseas Ltd, each with a 50% participation.

QUEEN ALIA international airport is situated in Zizya, 32 km south of Amman, capital city of Jordan. The expansion and modernization of the airport included the construction of a new terminal designed by the internationally-acclaimed Foster & Partners architecture firm. The new state-of-the-art terminal in its first phase of operation covers 100,000 square metres and has an annual capacity of 7.5 million passengers, while in its second phase the terminal will be expanded to 135,000 square metres with nearly triple annual passenger capacity relative to the original terminal, to 9 million passengers per annum.

To ensure the timely and smooth operation of the new terminal, the initial construction project was split in two phases:

The first phase, concerning the partial opening of the terminal, included the rehabilitation of the aircraft ramp spots and a runway, along with the new terminal building which was successfully delivered on 30.09.2012 and officially inaugurated by His Highness King Abdullah II in March 2013. This phase was concluded with the demolition of the old terminal building.

The second phase of the project was scheduled for a later date. But due to the sharp increase in air traffic and changes in the aviation industry, the investor decided in April 2013 to expand the two Arrival – Departures buildings flanking the main building of the new terminal, thus bringing the total area to 135,000 square metres, while the initial plan for an annual passenger capacity of 12 million was abandoned in favour of a more flexible solution which better suits alternative operation plans. These improvements brought about extensive changes which required more space to meet growing passenger traffic demand.

The budget of the new construction works, to be equally split again between J&P-AVAX SA and J&P Overseas Ltd, amounts to €120 million.

Marousi, February 05, 2014
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS