SNC wins airport contract in Libya

Montreal's SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. said Mondayit hassecured a $500-million contract to expandLibya's second largest airport.

SNC will build a new terminal, tarmac apron and airplane runway at Libya's Benina International Airport, whichserves Benghazi inLibya's northeastern region.

The project is expected to be completed by 2010 and will able to accommodate approximately five million passengers annually, the company said in anews release.

"We have been working in Libya for over 20 years, mainly on water-related infrastructure projects, so we are delighted with this new opportunity to participate in Libya's economic development by using another of our recognized areas of technical expertise," said Riadh Ben Aissa,executive vice-president at SNC.

Libyais undertakingthe airport improvement as part of an extensive infrastructure program designed to boostits economy, SNC said.

One goal is to build 450,000 new homes by the middle of the next decade along with a further $6-billion US worth of water and sanitation projects, according to the government.

For its part, SNC, one of the biggestengineering companies in the world,has been in Libya for two decades.

The firm is buildinga large water pipeline,which upon completion will be able to carry 1.6 million cubic metres of wateracross the Libyan desert.