Africa-Press – Angola. The vice-president of the MPLA, Luísa Damião, considered, this Friday, in Luanda, that the inauguration of the Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN) is a way of showing the most skeptical that the country is actually moving forward on the path of development.
Speaking after the inauguration of the airport infrastructure, by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, the MPLA leader emphasized that the new international airport in Luanda will contribute to boosting the economy and tourism in Angola.
He also considered important the fact that the infrastructure in question offers many jobs to Angolans, especially young people.
“We are happy because this airport is named after the first President of Angola, who gave Angolans the opportunity to be free and independent and register their name in the concert of Nations and the subject of international law”, he expressed.
For you, the new Airport is proud of how Angolans, in general, have to strongly embrace the battle of development.
“We are showing this with the construction of various social impact infrastructures, across the country, to meet the desires of Angolans”, he stressed.
For his part, the leader of the Social Renewal Party (PRS), Benedito Daniel, said that the inauguration of AIAAN constitutes a gain for the country’s economy.
“When you are thinking about 65 million passengers per year, it is in fact a gain for the country’s economy and for Angolans because we are not seeing many airports in the world with that kind of traffic”, he pointed out.
The first official flight from Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport landed successfully this Friday, marking the beginning of operations for the provisional certification of the airport infrastructure.
On board the aircraft of the national flag company TAAG 777 – 300, named “Morro do Moco”, 109 passengers disembarked, including public managers, public figures, traditional entities, among other guests from the Ministry of Transport.
Among the passengers was Angolan nationalist Amadeu Amorim, who highlighted the importance of this infrastructure for the country’s development.
The aircraft, which departed from 04 de Fevereiro International Airport, in Luanda, was crewed by commander João Mendes, chief of the flag carrier’s 777 (triple seven) fleet, and landed on the south runway, four thousand meters long.
The flight lasted approximately 12 minutes and received a water arch baptism upon arrival by two Civil Protection and Firefighters cars, parked on the runway.
Located in the urban district of Bom Jesus, municipality of Icolo and Bengo, province of Luanda, the infrastructure, built 40 kilometers from the country’s capital, comes into operation in phases, with the 1st reserved for cargo services, until February 2024.
According to the operating schedule for the new Luanda International Airport, the 2nd phase begins in February 2024, with domestic flight operations.
According to the Angolan Government’s planning, the last stage, scheduled for June 2024, will be marked by the start of international flight operations.
In the first phase, the new airport will operate with provisional certification, as there is not yet sufficient experience in airport operations.
The phased opening of the new infrastructure takes place for security reasons, testing, certification and staff training, to assess real demand, procedures that help minimize risks and ensure a smooth transition to full operation.
It occupies an area of 1,324 hectares, has capacity for 15 million passengers and a cargo volume of 130 thousand tons per year.
With two double runways, the airport is prepared to receive, among others, aircraft of the B747 and A380 types, the latter considered the largest commercial aircraft today.
The south runway (the largest), which is four thousand meters by 60 meters wide, received, in June 2022, the first experimental flight of a Boeing 777 type aircraft from the national flag company – TAAG.
In addition to the two runways, AIAAN also has 31 lanes, of which 19 are for international services and 11 are for domestic services, as well as 9 conveyor belts for baggage storage, six of which are dedicated to international flights.
It includes 26 Immigration and Foreigners Service (SME) counters, a parking lot for 1,710 vehicles, as well as space reserved for shops, in an area of 1,825 square meters.
It also has 22 VIP lounges, a clinic and a first aid center attached to the passenger terminal, in addition to contemplating the construction of an airport city from scratch, which will cover a total area of 75 km2.
Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport has ramps, elevators and trained staff to pay special attention to people with reduced mobility.
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