A BOUT 100 companies have thrown their hats into the ring for a contract to upgrade Pochentong airport so wide-body passenger jets can land, a Civil Aviation Department official said.

The bulk of the bidders are from overseas from such countries as Malaysia, Singapore and the United States, with a few Khmer contractors also joining in.

The tenders are currently with a cabinet committee which is to select the winner, said the official, who declined to be named.

"The committee is screening the bidders' proposals every day on their work record, qualification, especially the committee wants to choose bidder who has reference and who is well known to begin work in 1995 and will be finished in 1997," said the official on Aug 2.

However, he declined to comment on the bid price, the terms of the contract and the relationship between the bidder and government. He said these will be known in two weeks.

The construction project consists of three major components which are stated in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport's notification obtained by the Post:

1. The construction of a new 3,600 meter runway.

2. The enlargement of the aircraft stationing area and the construction of additional accesses from the apron to the runways.

3. The construction of a new terminal building for international traffic.

4. The present terminal, which is undergoing renovation is designated to become the domestic terminal, when the new project is completed. The current renovation work is expected to be completed at the end of this month.

The official said the project aimed to attract increased passengers numbers to Cambodian by cutting out the need for long-haul arrivals to transit via regional destinations such as Bangkok, Malaysia or Singapore.

The aim is eventually to bring in one million tourists per year after 1997.