Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) has signed a partnership agreement with German construction group Hochtief AG to set up a joint venture, which will provide facility management at Bahrain International Airport.

The new entity, Hochtief Facility Management Bahrain Airport, will be set up at a cost of BD44 million ($115 million). The BAC said the new venture is in line with its objectives of enhancing Bahrain International Airport’s environment and performance.

The board members of the new company, Hochtief Facility Management Bahrain Airport are Dr Osama Al-Ali, BAC chairman, Abdulla Janahi, BAC vice chairman, Dr Thomas Brandstaett, Martin Seeger and Udo Soicke.

The agreement will run for six years, with an option to be extended for another five, the company said in a statement.

Hochtief Facility Management Bahrain Airport will initially employ around 170 people in the operation of all technical systems and the maintenance of airport infrastructure – and specifically service the Bahrain International Airport, which represents its first client, the BAC said in a statement.

Hochtief Facility Management Bahrain Airport will also be responsible for maintaining a clean and pleasant environment for all airport users, it added.

“The new company allows BAC to partner with one of the leading facilities management companies in the world. Instead of just employing consultation services, this partnership actually creates a new company, which is then able to service clients from other industries as well,” commented Dr Osama Al Ali, CEO of Bahrain Airport Company.

At present Bahrain International Airport has a gross floor space of just under 70,000 square metres, and houses the terminal, aircraft hangars, cargo halls, administrative buildings and a fire station.

The new company will provide technical and infrastructural services for all these properties and the airport grounds, the BAC said.

In addition, it will also provide facility management services to the airport’s sensitive infrastructure – like the aprons and the airfield.

Hochtief AG said the contract marks a further internationalisation of its service business.

“Some areas of the airport require delicate facilities management. These are not your run-of-the-mill services – they require an international expert to be able to analyse the situations and react accordingly,' said Bernd Romanski, managing director of Hochtief Facility Management.

'These include high-risk zones like the runways and aprons. Hochtief FM's strong involvement in airport management, and global presence in other airports like the Athens Airport, imparts us with market-leading expertise and experience,' he added.

The airport currently handles around eight million passengers per year, but with a new terminal due for completion by 2015, the passenger number will rocket to 15 million, the company said.

The Kingdom is set to spend BD1.81 billion ($4.73 billion) for upgrading the airport facilities, the company added.-TradeArabia News Service