Hawkins and joint venture partner Pacific Building Solutions (PBS) have been selected to complete the Nadi International Airport Modernisation project.

The 16 month project, circa $50M, involves the demolition, construction, refurbishment and modernisation of the South Pacific’s most integral airport and is part of a large modernisation programme being implemented by the Fiji Government.

This will be the first large project in Fiji for Hawkins which has an impressive track record delivering airport projects throughout New Zealand.

Hawkins has entered into a joint venture partnership with Fiji’s largest building company PBS for the project and will be the main building contractor. The partnership will be a collaborative one with Hawkins bringing their extensive airport knowledge and skills and PBS providing local resources and an understanding of Fiji’s weather and construction processes.

Construction Manager Paul Youngman, who recently worked on the integrated terminal project at Christchurch International Airport, says “this is a great opportunity for Hawkins to bring our experience and knowledge of working in live airport environments and share that with local company PBS.

Through working closely with PBS we will encourage local involvement in the project and opportunities for up skilling their employees.”

“Working in a live airport environment can seem daunting at first but Hawkins is well used to it by now. You not only have to be mindful of noise, dust, safety and that the public and airport community are not inconvenienced but also be constantly aware of security protocols and procedures,” said Youngman.

Work is set to begin on 15 July 2014 with a completion date of 15 October 2015.

The modernisation project will see a 4000m² increase in floor space, a newly built check-in building, additional counters, more carousels, improved accessibility, higher ceilings, improved passenger flow and new safety systems. During construction the airport will remain fully operational.

Hawkins New Zealand, June 18, 2014