BUSAN — The government, the Busan city administration and the project operator are launching a standing consultative body for the Gadeokdo New Airport project, which has entered full-scale preparations for groundbreaking after the submission of basic design documents. Reflecting construction costs that surged after the Middle East war in the contract amount and expanding the role of local construction firms are also on the agenda.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), the Busan Metropolitan Government and the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Authority will hold the first meeting of the Gadeokdo New Airport Project Promotion Council on the 18th at a conference room in Busan Station. Attending will be MOLIT's head of civil aviation policy, Busan's vice mayor for future innovation and the authority's deputy director.
The launch follows the submission of basic design documents on the 7th of this month by the Daewoo Engineering & Construction consortium, the contractor for site preparation work, moving the project into a phase that leads through design and permitting to groundbreaking. The three organizations will cooperate across the entire project, from permits and other groundbreaking preparations to safety and quality management during construction and linked development of surrounding areas.
The biggest issue is construction costs. With calls to reflect higher raw material and construction costs since the Middle East war in the contract amount, the parties will share the status of interagency talks at the government level and discuss ways to resolve the matter quickly. They also plan to hear the on-site difficulties and views of local construction firms taking part in the consortium.
Follow-up steps for starting the first phase of construction this year are also picking up pace. The authority will move quickly through procedures including design review by the Central Construction Technology Deliberation Committee and contracting, aiming to break ground on the first phase within the year. The groundbreaking ceremony is likewise being prepared to go beyond the start of a national project and to present a vision for the airport and its surrounding area.
Development plans linking the airport with its hinterland are also up for discussion. The ministry, the city and the authority plan to hold continuing talks on spreading the benefits of the new airport to nearby areas and tying the project to the local economy through steps such as building an airport-linked hub city (a mixed-use city built around the airport).
The council will hold regular quarterly meetings, with working-level talks held as needed. Jung Chae-gyo, MOLIT's head of civil aviation policy, said, "The central government, the local government and the project operator will act as one team and push ahead without wavering toward groundbreaking this year and opening on schedule."
Oh Seok-geun, Busan's vice mayor for future innovation, said, "We will promote participation by local companies and the creation of an airport-linked hub city so that Gadeokdo New Airport does not remain merely a large state project but delivers real benefits to the local economy."
Jung Im-soo, deputy director of the authority, said, "As the project operator, we will manage the schedule without gaps and secure safety, carrying out the planned road map, including groundbreaking on the first phase this year, without setbacks."
