Luanda – Luanda's DR. António Agostinho Neto International Airport is ready to receive Friday the first experimental flight in its southside runway, the coordinator of the Operations Office of the infrastructure, José Paulo de Nóbrega, said Tuesday.
The runway in the southside of the airport is already concluded, while the northern side is still under construction.
Speaking to ANGOP, Nobrega said Angola airlines Taag will carry out the test with its Boeing 777 that will depart from Luanda’s 4 de Fevereiro International Airport to its destination in an estimated 13 minutes.
According to the coordinator, the safety protocols for the experimental flight have been observed, which includes the operation of the control tower.
Paulo Nóbrega added that the construction of the new airport is 60 percent completed and that the remaining works will be fully completed next year.
"We still have to finish part of the passenger terminal and the north runway, which will allow us to receive more than 15 million passengers annually", Nobrega said.
He explained that the new airport, which occupies an area of 1,324 hectares, will have various services such as hotels, rail transport, General Tax Administration (AGT) posts, Civil Protection and Fire Service, and a car park with a capacity for 1,000 vehicles.
The works to complete the infrastructure, Nobrega said, are part of the planned budget of roughly 3.4 billion U.S. dollars.
The airport, which according to research data, will handle a cargo volume of 50,000 tons per year and conceived to receive B747 and A380 aircrafts, currently the largest commercial airplane and the construction of an airport city in an area of 75 km2.
The laying of the first stone for the construction of the D.R António Agostinho International Airport took place in 2015, and it is scheduled to have its first passenger flight at the end of 2023, after the certification process is completed.
