SSR Airport’s Control Tower Project In Turmoil: From Rs 621M to Rs 1.325 Bn

The SSR International Airport’s proposed new control tower took center stage in Parliament on Tuesday amid a backdrop of delays and ballooning costs. Responding to inquiries from MP Roshan Jhummun, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam disclosed the troubling trajectory of the project, which has encountered significant setbacks since its inception.

Initially launched in 2012 and awarded to Airports of Mauritius Co. Ltd (AML) in 2013, the project seemed set on course. An international tender was issued in 2017, attracting bids from three competitors: Hyvec-Stefanutti Stocks JV, Tianli Construction Company Ltd, and JV PADCO-ENDEM. Ultimately, the contract was awarded to JV PADCO-ENDEM for Rs 621 million, inclusive of VAT, minus an Rs 18.1 million discount.

However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic derailed the project, with work halting and the contractor entering voluntary administration by July 2020, leaving the site abandoned just a month later. The government took swift action, terminating the contract in December 2020, plunging the project into disarray.

In June 2021, Ramgoolam revealed, AML sought to jumpstart the endeavour by commissioning an independent evaluation of the remaining work. The firm Chuttur & Partners Ltd estimated that completion would now cost around Rs 827 million, marking a staggering increase of Rs 206 million.

Control Tower

Ramgoolam further disclosed that by February 2022, AML had approached Hyvec-Stefanutti Stocks JV for a revised bid as part of an expedited process. However, this attempt was thwarted when the submission was found non-compliant, leading to the cancellation of the tender in August 2022.

In a notable turn, the previous administration altered the Public Procurement Act in December 2022, exempting AML from its regulations, thereby enabling a more streamlined process to complete the project. Yet, despite these modifications, progress remained stagnant.

By February 2024, AML attempted to revive the project by inviting tenders for contractor pre-qualification. Interest was shown by two groups: Hyvec-Stefanutti Control Tower JV and China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd in partnership with Nundun Gopee & Co Ltd. Ultimately, Hyvec-Stefanutti was selected to submit a bid, which escalated to an astonishing Rs 1.325 billion by June 2024, excluding VAT.

Ramgoolam painted a grim picture of the situation, revealing that since 2020, the project had only advanced by a mere 35%, with existing infrastructure beginning to deteriorate. To date, Rs 322.2 million has already been spent, and on 17 February 2025, AML’s tender committee found the proposal from Hyvec-Stefanutti Control Tower JV non-compliant, as it exceeded the budget estimate by an alarming 45.81%.

If a contract is eventually awarded, completion of the works is anticipated to take an additional 19 months, leaving many to wonder about the fate of the long-delayed control tower.

Source: Defi Media