The preferred bidder for the Midfield Terminal Building project at Abu Dhabi International Airport is a consortium headed by the Middle East's largest construction group, the Consolidated Construction Company, Arabtec, the UAE construction group and Turkey's TAV.

The 700,000-square-meter terminal building is one of the key strategic infrastructure projects to be undertaken in Abu Dhabi, and will be capable of handling 30 million passengers per year.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said today it was in final discussions with the consortium, with a view to signing the full contract next month.

ADAC had released the tender to six prequalified consortiums, and had received their proposals in November.

"By announcing the preferred bidder today, the company is on-track to deliver an efficient and sustainable aviation infrastructure, capable of catering to the growing air transport needs of the Emirate", said Khalifa Al Mazrouei, the chairman of ADAC.

"ADAC will ensure that the aviation infrastructure in the Emirate, from trained UAE Nationals to world-class facilities, is ready to support this opportunity."

The total built-up area will be 450,000 square meters in the central passenger areas, with a further 250,000 square meters in the aircraft piers. The piers will accommodate up to 65 aircraft, including the largest Airbus A380s and Boeing 747-8s.

The whole building will be constructed using almost 70,000 tons of steel, more than 1.6m tons of concrete, and nearly 500,000 square meters of steel and glass cladding.

The new terminal will become the future home of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE.