Construction Week - Gavin Davids
Concerns raised over the tender process for the construction of a second terminal at Lebanon’s only international airport.
Lebanon has scrapped controversial plans to construct a second terminal for Beirut’s international airport following transparency concerns and public concern, the country’s transport minister has said.
In a statement on his official Twitter account, Ali Hamie, Lebanon’s Public Works and Transportation Minister, said that work on the second terminal at Beirut International Airport would not proceed and that the contract would be cancelled.
Earlier in March, Lebanese officials said that it would construct a US$122 million terminal at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, which would have a four year project delivery timeline.
However, critics ranging from civil society organisations to lawmakers were quick to note the absence of a tender process and a lack of involvement from the Public Procurement Authority. Others questioned how a caretaker government, with limited powers, could announce a major infrastructure project in the country, at a time when concerns around systemic corruption are growing.
