Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, Saturday checked the level of execution of the construction work of the new Luanda International Airport (NAIL), located in the commune of Bom Jesus, in the municipality of Icolo e Bengo, Luanda province.
On the site, the Head of the Government had a meeting, behind closed doors, with the management of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, in charge of execution of the work, and received information about the course of the project.
After the meeting, the Angolan Head of State, accompanied by members of the Government and other entities linked to the project, visited, among other areas, the protocol building, the Departure Lounge, south and north runways, VIP plaques and the Cargo Terminal.
President Joao Lourenço also visited the Airport Security area, the Fire Station, the hotels area and the meteorological radar.
At the end of the visit, the Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, confirmed to the press that the NAIL construction works will be concluded in the first quarter of 2023.
"I hope this date stays the same," the minister said when answering questions from journalists, and said that the project to build the new airport was at an advanced stage of completion, estimated at 90 percent.
Regarding the paralysis of work over the last two years, Ricardo de Abreu said it was due to technical issues, corrections to engineering and the functionality of the new airport.
In March 2019, the Angolan government announced that the works at NAIL would be subject to corrections in engineering and functionality, to bring the structure up to modernity, innovation and passenger comfort standards.
The minister also said, as one of the reasons for the stoppage, that additional work at the new airport would go beyond the US$1.4 billion limit that had already been set.
He noted that the sector's main concern was to get the airport up and running, and said that a process was being set up to create a multi-disciplinary group to define the airport city's urban planning.
Abreu said that the construction of the new Luanda International Airport was an important project for the country's economy.
When it is operational, the new airport will make it possible for Luanda to become a link point for transporting passengers and cargo to central and southern Africa.
Covering 1,324 hectares, the new airport, construction of which is around 90 percent complete, will include traffic control areas, support facilities, the flight zone and terminals.
The terminals are expected to house 31 aerobuses, 20 of which for the international area and 11 for the domestic.
Located 40 kilometres southeast of Luanda city centre, the terminal has two double runways, the northern one being 3,800 metres long and 60 metres wide, with capacity to accommodate the world's largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380.
The southern runway, which is 4,000 metres long and 75 metres wide, can land and take off Airbus 380 aircraft.
Under construction since 2007, the new Luanda International Airport will be able to handle up to 15 million passengers per year, of which 10 million will be international traffic and 5 million domestic passengers.
