BergerWorld: 4th Quarter 2006

The Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, the capital city and commercial center of Ecuador, currently serves over 3.4 million passengers a year. As a result of the facility's location in the heart of the Andes Mountains, expanding the existing airport to alleviate congestion is a difficult challenge. To meet the country's increasing demand, the construction of the New Quito International Airport (NQIA) has been proposed 20 kilometers east of Quito. The Berger Group, in association with TAHAL Consulting Engineers, was commissioned by the Corporación Aeropuerto y Zona Franca del Distrito Metropolitana de Quito (CORPAQ) to provide program management, design review and construction supervision for the $413 million new greenfield airport.

As program manager, Berger's tasks include the review of all preliminary and final designs for the airport as well as value engineering of the proposed runway, taxiway, aprons and other related civil works. Additionally, a review of the proposed passenger terminal was conducted to verify that the facility contained adequate space for large baggage screening machines required under new FAA regulations and in compliance with International Air Transport Association service level B.

Construction cost estimates for NQIA have also been prepared, and particular emphasis was given to the major elements of the project, including the runway/taxiway system, the passenger terminal and the ATCT. The Team then compared the estimated costs of the proposed facility to other proposed or existing airports serving similar aviation markets. In addition, technical, economic and financial feasibility studies were conducted to determine the possibility of extending the proposed runway from 3,600 meters to 4,100 meters in order to accommodate fully loaded direct flights to most U.S. cities. The studies also determined the additional costs and benefits associated with constructing the runway to its maximum length.

The existing airport is expected to be replaced by NQIA in 2010. The new facility will be comprised of a state-of-the-art runway with a full parallel taxiway, a 38,000-meter2 passenger terminal building, a general aviation terminal, an air cargo complex, as well as catering and auxiliary facilities.