ISLAMABAD, June 6: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) signed here on Monday a joint venture agreement with the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the construction of passenger terminal building for the new Benazir Bhutto International Airport project.

The project to be completed during next two years has been designed by CPG, a Singaporean engineering company which has to its credit some prestigious airports including Changi Airport at Singapore.

The agreement was signed by CAA Project Director Vikram S. Sodha and representatives of CSCEC and FWO.

CAA Director-General Air Marshal (retired) Khalid Chaudhry, CSCEC Senior Vice President YI Wen Quan and FWO Director-General Major-General Najibullah Khan were also present during the signing ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sodha expressed the hope that the joint venture would employ all the resources and expertise necessary to execute the project to the best of the international standards.

The project was awarded to the joint venture of Chinese and Pakistanis construction companies who were declared successful through an international tendering process in which Korean and UAE-based leading construction companies also participated.

CSCEC is one of the largest state-owned construction companies of China having rich all-round experience of executing large civil engineering projects including airports in China and several other countries.

CSCEC has carried out construction of a number of airports including the Hong Kong International Airport, New Guangzhou Airport and a terminal of Beijing International Airport.

In Pakistan the company has to its credit projects like JF-17 infrastructure at PAF Kamra, Software Technology Park at Lahore and the high rising towers in Islamabad.

CSCEC counterpart organization, FWO is one the leading construction companies of Pakistan which has executed a large number of projects of national importance. It also has carried out overseas development projects.