L&T Begins Initial Work on Over ₹15,000 Crore Tashkent Airport Project

Key Takeaways

• L&T has received a Limited Notice to Proceed for the New Tashkent International Airport project and has started engineering and pre-construction activities.
• The company classifies the EPC contract as an ultra-mega order, which under L&T's classification means a value exceeding ₹15,000 crore.
• L&T's passenger terminal and landside infrastructure are being designed to handle approximately 17 million passengers annually.

Larsen & Toubro has started initial engineering and pre-construction work for the New Tashkent International Airport in Uzbekistan after receiving a Limited Notice to Proceed from the public-private partnership consortium developing the project.

The contract falls in L&T's "ultra-mega" order category. Under the company's disclosed order classification, that means the contract value exceeds ₹15,000 crore. L&T has not provided the precise contract amount. 

The project is being handled by L&T's Public Spaces, Airports & Health business. An engineering, procurement and construction contract had already been awarded to the company for the passenger terminal and associated landside infrastructure.

Full Construction Awaits Notice to Proceed

The latest Limited Notice to Proceed allows L&T to undertake initial engineering, detailed design, planning, procurement preparation and related pre-construction work.

Site construction for the full project scope has not yet started. L&T said the consortium is expected to issue the full Notice to Proceed after the agreed contractual conditions precedent are fulfilled. Construction activity will begin after that stage. 

The distinction between the two notices makes the current status of the project clearer. L&T has moved beyond the EPC award and begun preparatory work, but the October 19 announcement does not represent commencement of full-scale construction.

The terminal and associated landside facilities are planned for annual passenger capacity of about 17 million.

L&T's scope includes site grading, roads, structural works, architectural finishes, mechanical, electrical and plumbing services, utilities and installation of airport systems. 

New Airport Forms Part of Uzbekistan's Transport Plans

New Tashkent International Airport is being developed as a greenfield airport and is intended to serve passenger, cargo and logistics traffic in Central Asia.

For L&T, the project adds another overseas airport contract to its EPC portfolio. The company's Public Spaces, Airports & Health business works across airports, public infrastructure and healthcare projects in India and international markets.

The order is also large by L&T's own internal classification. The company's disclosed bands classify contracts of ₹10,000 crore to ₹15,000 crore as "Mega", while orders above ₹15,000 crore fall under "Ultra-Mega". 

The next operational milestone will be the issue of the full Notice to Proceed. Until then, L&T's work is centred on design, engineering, planning and preparations required ahead of construction.