Tallinn Airport concluded an agreement for second stage of the construction works of the airside area with KMG Inseneriehituse AS and Verston Ehitus OÜ. The cost of construction works is EUR 24.8 million, of which one half shall be covered by the funds of the European Union Cohesion Fund. Preparations for the construction works will begin in June 2020 and shall be completed by the end of year 2021. The expansion works of the airside area shall not bring along any major restrictions to the operations of the airport.
According to Riivo Tuvike, chairman of the board of Tallinn Airport, in aviation plans are made ahead for ten or more years. “Although we should have reduced the investments by EUR 10 million due to the corona crisis, we decided to move on with the construction works of the airside area, as the development shall ensure competitive strength of Tallinn Airport by the time air traffic will have been restored throughout the world,” Tuvike said.
In the first stage of the construction project between years 2016 and 2017, the twenty-year-old pavement of the existing runway was reconstructed, the runway was extended and the system of taxiways and aprons for aircrafts was improved. Under the project, the airfield lighting system was replaced by energy-efficient and sustainable LED systems, and systems of approach lights and navigation systems of a higher category were installed.
In the second stage of the development project of the airside area, expansion of the apron area in the southern part of the airfield shall be continued, and the construction of stormwater systems shall be continued in order to solve the problem of excessive water in the eastern part of the airfield. Construction of the sewerage system for water from snow storage areas shall be continued and the configuration of the eastern de-icing bay shall be improved in order to increase the throughput of the runway. Under the current works, the engine testing area for aircrafts shall be completed, with proper noise barriers installed around them. The project also includes the construction of access and perimeter roads of the airfield and construction of the southern bypass.
Veiko Veskimäe, chairman of the board of Verston Ehitus, said that the cooperation between Verston and KMG Inseneriehitus in the past has been very smooth and effective – at the end of 2019, Reidi tee, one of the largest road construction projects in the recent years, was completed by joint effort. The team that will start to carry out the construction works in the airside area also has experience in construction of aviation sites. “Several construction engineers of Verston and KMG have participated in various construction projects of Tallinn Airport. We have gained the necessary experience also during the construction of Ämari Air Base. The construction project of the airside area presents the builders with various interesting challenges and enables us to apply the engineering knowledge acquired in the past,” Veskimäe explains.
Indrek Pappel, member of the board of KMG Inseneriehitus, added that he wishes to give credit to Tallinn Airport and the Republic of Estonia: “Starting the infrastructure construction project aimed at the future in these complicated times is the only right solution, as this way we can emerge from the crisis sooner and be ready for new growth.”
As a result of a public procurement, partners of FIDIC Engineering Services and Owner Supervision are AS Taalri Varahaldus and Tallinna Linnaehituse AS. The contract of engineering service shall be concluded simultaneously with the building contract. Owner supervision service shall be financed by AS Tallinna Lennujaam from their own funds.
