Sector Airports & Aviation

Project Type Airport Construction

Project Title New Ulaanbaatar International Airport Construction Project

Location Khushing Khundii Valley, Tuv Aimag, Mongolia

Client Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia / JICA

Project Period August 2009 – Present

Aerial View of the Planned New Passenger Terminal Building

Problems addressed by the Project

The existing Chinggis Khaan (Ulaanbaatar) International Airport (UBIA) is the main international gateway of Mongolia and the sole hub for domestic air transport. However, the runway is short with a steep gradient that can only be approached from one direction due to obstacle of mountains. The airport also experiences frequent flight cancellations because of low visibility by smoke and occasional adverse wind direction, especially in winter time. The current terminal building has inadequate capacity to handle expanding passenger volumes. Although International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended the usability factor of the airport to be 95%, the current situation is only 75% in the worst month.

However, to achieve the ICAO standard at the existing airport would require enormous volumes of earthworks to remove the tops of surrounding mountains. The economic cost and environmental impacts make such works unviable.

With due recognition of the shortcomings of the current airport and inability to upgrade the existing site, the Mongolian Government signed a contract for construction of the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport (NUBIA). The new airport site is near the town of Zuunmod, approximately 52 km south of the Ulaanbaatar city. The contract is financed 90% by the JICA soft loan and 10% by the Mongolian Government. The new airport will replace the existing UBIA and will be designed to secure safety, reliability and convenience for passengers and airport users and operators to accommodate the rapidly increasing demands for international and domestic air transportation.

Service Provided

OC Global conducted two of the earlier studies for NUBIA, the Mongolia Civil Aviation Master Plan completed in 2003 funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Special Assistance for Project Formation (SAPROF) funded by Japan’s official development assistance in 2007. OC Global was subsequently engaged to provide the conceptual and preliminary designs, detailed design, pre-qualification, and tender assistance. OC Global is providing the construction supervision and defect liability services from May 2013 through to 2017.

Actual Project Works

Runway : 3,600 m x 45m, rigid pavement Taxiway : Parallel taxiway (3,339 m x 23 m), 2 rapid and 3 exit taxiways, rigid

pavement Passenger Apron : 104,200 m2, rigid and asphalt pavement Passenger Terminal Building : 33,300 m2, 3-story, RC + steel structure Control Tower and Operations : 1,086 m2, 4-story, RC + steel structure Other Buildings : Fire station, heating plant, water and sewage plants, substations, sheds Utility Works : Telecommunication system, heating system and distribution, utility culvert

electrical power supply, sewage treatment system, water supply and distribution

Air Navigation System : Aeronautical ground lighting systems, radio navigation systems, aeronautical telecommunication systems, aviation meteorological system

Others : Airport IT & security system, airport special equipment, fuel supply system