Megawide, India's GMR to win Philippine airport deal

[MANILA] India's GMR Infrastructure Ltd and contractor Megawide Construction Corp are the likely winners of a US$400 million airport terminal tender, the biggest so far under the Philippines' public-private partnership programme.

The consortium beat six others including the country's top conglomerates at an auction yesterday, offering a premium of 14.4 billion pesos (S$408 million) for the 25-year concession to operate central Philippines' Mactan-Cebu International Airport - the country's second-biggest - and build one of its terminals.

The project is a test of the government's resolve to boost economic growth through public-private partnerships (PPP) in infrastructure, following delays in previous high-profile tenders that have raised doubts about the scheme's effectiveness.