Luanda - The works on the access road to the Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport, a new impressive infrastructure in the outskirts of Luanda City, meet the deadlines set and is scheduled to end in October, assured Saturday, in Luanda, the minister of Public Works, Urbanisation and Housing, Carlos dos Santos.
According to the minister, the services of intervention on the pavement, drainage system, public lighting and construction of bays of the main accesses to the new airport are in the stage of completion
He said that along National Highway 230 (EN-230) several “bays” have been built to prevent car drivers from stopping in the main side of the road, which would reduce possible situations of slow traffic, which is currently occurring, adding that also on the EN-230 and Fidel de Castro Avenue, work to improve the pavement, drainage system and public lighting, is in the final stage.
The official who was speaking to the press in the scope of the visit of the Head of State, João Lourenço to the Luanda new International Airport, said that all the works which are being done at the National Road EN-100 and the Kimakienda Avenue, are are running smoothly according to the procedures.
According to him, to the access to the new airport, the National Highway 230 is also observing interventions works such as the viaduct that will it have and it scheduled to be completed until October, this year, while on Fidel de Castro and Kimakienda Avenue, as well as the National Road 100, have the same works by upgrading the pavement, drainage system and public lighting, which are the short-term measures.
In the medium term, the government plans to create a direct access to the new airport, connecting the Pedro de Castro Van-duném Loy avenue to the national 230 road and then to the Fidel de Castro avenue.
"These works will effectively improve access to the new Luanda International Airport, whether by road or rail", he said.
In this regard, the minister for Public Works, Urbanisation and Housing said that, in 2024, two alternative access routes would be built in and out of Zango district.
Alongside this initiative, the section of the Zango 8,000 satellite city will be extended and link the National Road 230 and cross with the expressway road.
Carlos dos Santos also said that Luanda's paedestrian zones would be improved in the near future.
On his turn, the minister of Transport, Ricardo D'Abreu, said that the works on access to the new airport would be concluded in time for its inauguration.
Regarding the certification of the airport, the minister said that it is going through its normal process by taking all the stages for its completion, adding that there is no cause for concern.
The minister said that, in a first phase, the airport would receive provisional certification, a normal act, and later the definitive phase, and that this procedure did not create any operational limitations, as they were inherent to the airport certification process.
"The Angolan government will make a world-class, modern, technologically advanced infrastructure available to passengers, with a process of digitalisation of the civil aviation system at the level of all services, both for professionals and for navigation and aeronautical aid", he stressed.
According to Ricardo D'Abreu, there are other initiatives underway, such as the process of transferring the airport from construction to operation, where the related team is already receiving the airport's functional resources for the operational phase.
The new Luanda International Airport has two double runways and is sized to receive, amongst others, B747 and A380 aircrafts, that is currently the largest commercial aircraft.
The south runway, which is the airport's longest, is 4,000 metres long and 60 metres wide, and in June 2022 received the first experimental flight of a Boeing 777 aircraft from TAAG Angola airline.
The airport project includes construction of an airport city that will cover an area of 75 square kilometres. OPF/SC//MRA/jmc
