Mexico City - With the bidding deadline for Mexico City's new airport terminal ticking, Infraestructura y Construcción (CICSA), a unit of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim's global conglomerate Grupo Carso, is close to forming a consortium with Spanish construction firm FCC (which is majority owned by Slim's Grupo Carso) and rival Spanish builder Acciona to bid for the $3.5 billion project, Reuters reported last week.

According to Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de Mexico, the Mexican government entity in charge of the airport project, proposals for the terminal are to be submitted by November 21. Winners will be announced on December 9.

Arturo Elías Ayub, Slim's spokesperson, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Carso-led consortium is expected to face a formidable rival. Spain's infrastructure giant Ferrovial, whose chairman is Spanish billionaire Rafael del Pino y Calvo Sotelo, is also planning to bid for the Mexico City airport terminal project.

Ferrovial's credentials in the field are well established. In 2010, the $10 billion (sales) Ferrovial, which manages major airports and highways around the world, won the bid to build a terminal at London's Heathrow Airport.

Reuters reported that Ferrovial is in its "final talks" to form a consortium to bid for the Mexico terminal as well. ICA - the Mexican builder which has been trying to restructure its debt after defaulting on $1.35 billion in bonds last year; Dragados, a unit of Spain's Grupo ACS; and GP Construcción, a Monterrey-based company, are also mentioned as participating in the talks.