IRAN. A new international airport serving the capital city Tehran will open on Saturday after several weeks of delays due to problems with fuel storage and prices, according to reports by the official IRNA news agency.
The Imam Khomeini International Airport was scheduled to open in March, but a drastic rise in jet fuel prices had sparked a row with airlines, causing the opening to be pushed back first to 20 April and then to 8 May.
Officials say that the airport complex, located about 45 km (30 miles) southwest of the capital, will have an annual capacity of 40 million passengers.
When completed, the airport is expected to serve as a regional transport hub.
It will replace the congested Mehrabad International Airport, which handled about 9 million passengers last year.
Gebr Heinemann-controlled Unifree will run the duty free contract at the new airport terminal in a joint venture with airport construction company TAV. The joint venture, trading as RTU, already operates the duty free stores at Istanbul Ataturk International airport.
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Gebr Heinemann joint venture lands key Tehran Airport contract – 28/01/04
