Luanda – Angolan president João Lourenço on Saturday in Luanda met with representatives of the company China National Aero-Technology Internacional Engineering (AVIC) involved in the construction of the new Luanda international airport inaugurated Friday.
No statements were given to the press regarding the conversation between the Angolan president and the delegation of the Chinese company led by Lai Weixuan, chairman of AVIC - International.
The new airport infrastructure, valued at 2.8 billion US dollars, covers an area of 1,324 hectares and can handle a cargo volume of 130,000 tons per year.
According to technical studies, it will be Africa's third largest airport in terms of passenger volume per year. The expected number is 15 million passengers a year, with 10 million on international flights and five million on domestic flights.
With two parallel runways, the largest of which is 4,000 metres long by 60 meters wide, the airport is prepared to receive aircraft of the B747 and A380 types, the latter considered to be the largest commercial aircraft today.
Built in the municipality of Icolo e Bengo in Luanda, the new international airport, inaugurated by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, will start operating in phases, with the first reserved for cargo services until February 2024.
This will be further followed by domestic flight operations, while international flights will commence in June 2024.
The gradual opening is for reasons of safety, testing, certification and staff training to assess real demand, procedures that help minimise risks and ensure a smooth transition to full operation.
The new airport was designed to become a hub airport with domestic, regional and international connections, making it Angola's main gateway to the world.
It is a strategic piece of infrastructure for the Angolan government, with the aim of increasing tax and tourism revenue, mainly by using cargo flights.
JFS/VIC/ADR/MRA
