Honduran govt to tender Palmerola airport in February

The Honduran government plans to tender construction of Palmerola international airport, north of capital Tegucigalpa, in February, according to a release from the presidency. The tender announcement follows a breakdown in negotiations with Interairports, the concessionaire of Honduras' four international airports, said President Porfirio Lobo. Interairports and the public-private partnership promotion authority Coalianza closed contract negotiations earlier this year, but the government subsequently ordered a revision of the concession terms due to reduced investment requirements by Interairports. The ministers council was expected to vote on the revised contract in August, but an official from the public works, transport and housing ministry, Soptravi, arbitrarily changed clauses of the contract - mainly related to the extension of deadlines, according to a previous release from the presidency. The government initially reached an agreement with Interairports to build and operate the terminal in the Palmerola US-controlled military base in 2008. The military base was chosen as the site for the country's new international passenger terminal after the government shut down Tegucigalpa's Toncontín airport in May 2008, following an accident that left five dead. Initial estimates pegged investment for the project at US$130mn.