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Belarus drops plans to hire Chinese contractor for airport renovation

Belarus will not hire a Chinese contractor for the renovation of the Minsk National Airport over cost differences, Uladzimir Kostsin, deputy director of the transport ministry's Aviation Department, told reporters in Minsk on April 11.

The official acknowledged that Belarus had expected a Chinese company to build a second runway and renovate the airport's terminal. "But we have ended cooperation so far," he said.

Belarus intended to spend $600 million on the project, but the Chinese company put the cost of its services at $1,125 million and refused to settle for less, explained Dzmitry Melikyan, director general of the airport.

As a result, the aviation authorities decided to carry out a less ambitious project that will cost around $81 million, Mr. Melikyan said. The project envisages the expansion of the airport's departure and arrival areas, the opening of more duty-free stores and the creation of a more comfortable zone for transit travelers.

He said that the project would be completed before the 2014 World Ice Hockey Championship in Minsk.

The Belarusian authorities said earlier that the main contractor in the project would be China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation.

Located 42 kilometers off Minsk, the airport was opened in 1982. //BelaPAN