TEHRAN – The Minister of Roads and Transportation, Mohammad Rahmati said here on Friday that sufficient budget is required to develop the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA).

He also called on the officials of the National Airports Company to pave the way for holding the bid for the construction of the second phase of the international airport in finance.

Rahmati went on to say that the budget required for the construction of the second phase of the Imam Khomeini International Airport was about $200 million.

With regards to the project for constructing a metro line from the Imam Khomeini International Airport to Tehran, Rahmati said that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is supposed to participate in carrying out the project.

He concluded that presently the Imam Khomeini International Airport owes over 200 billion Rials to its contractors, while no budget is considered to this airport in the current year budget.