Cavotec lands Bahrain airport contract

The deal, worth approximately 30 million Euros (NZ$64 million), will see Cavotec install ground service equipment for remote aircraft aprons.

Eighteen of Cavotec’s pre-conditioned air systems will form the centrepiece of the project. Cavotec will also deliver and install pop-up units, (pits used for storing many of the technical services needed for aircraft services, stored in-ground while not in use), transformer sub-stations, 400Hz power supply systems, a Vacuum Evacuation System, a blue water supply system and a potable water supply system.

The installation work is due for completion in February 2011 with a subsequent operation and maintenance period for one year.

“By selecting these advanced in-ground systems BAC has made a significant step to automate their operations and further consolidate their place as a state-of-art airport.  Cavotec has decades of experience in this market and is well known as a manufacturer and complete systems integrator. In financial terms, this is one of the larger projects in our 40-year history,” says Ottonel Popesco, Cavotec MSL’s Chief Executive.

This order is a key element of the Bahrain Airport’s US$ 4.7 billion expansion programme designed to cater for the projected growth in passenger and freight numbers, says Cavotec.

The expansion, planned over the next 30 years, will triple passenger capacity to 27 million a year. Two new terminals will be opened in the next four years.

Cavotec has 10 global research and engineering centres, including its New Zealand design office, and 28 sales offices around the world. MoorMaster was merged into Cavotec MSL in September 2006 when the innovative ship mooring systems annual turnover was about $200m.

The Cavotec Group is a global leader in supplying innovative power supply solutions that enable operators to improve their efficiency and sustainability.

The Cavotec PCAir system, for example, expands dry compressed air to cool parked aircraft. Pilots often run on-board auxiliary power units (APUs) to cool aircraft. These APUs can burn between 200 and 600 litres of fuel per hour, generating pollution at airports and consuming costly fuel that should be used to fly aircraft – not cool them on the ground.

The Cavotec PCAir system supports airports in creating APU-free aprons, providing the dual benefits of reducing pollution and reducing costs. This makes the PCAir system beneficial to airlines, airport operators, and the communities living near airports.