Africa-Press – Angola. The new Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN), budgeted at US$2.8 billion, is due to open on 10 November this year, announced this Friday the Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu.
Located 42 kilometers (km) from the center of Luanda, in the municipality of Icolo e Bengo, in an area of 75 km2, the new airport was designed to accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus-A380, with a capacity to handle 15 million passengers per year, a volume five times greater than the current 4 de Fevereiro International Airport.
Speaking at a press conference, at the end of a guided tour by journalists to the site, the Transport official said that the airport should receive its certification by the end of next October.
Ricardo D’Abreu explained that the start-up of Dr. António Agostinho Neto Airport will follow three phases, at first, from November, only for cargo, and later, in the first quarter of 2024, domestic passenger traffic, while the last stage contemplates the operation of international passenger flights.
According to the minister, the process of transferring some means and operational equipment from the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport to Dr. António Agostinho Neto is already underway.
Operating conditions of the new Airport
In this regard, the Minister of Transport stressed that Angola promoted important reforms in the National Civil Aviation System, with a profound restructuring of the legal framework, especially the entry into force of the new Civil Aviation Law, as well as the modernization of the air navigation system.
Likewise, the minister highlighted the creation of an independent regulatory body, the National Civil Aviation Authority of Angola (ANAC), as well as the Airport Management Society (SGA) and the National Air Navigation Company (ENNA), in addition to the transformation of TAAG from a public company to a public limited company.
Asked about the biggest challenge for the maintenance of the new airport, the minister considered that it has to do with human capital, with national know-how.
Regarding this concern, the minister considered that there is a need to create a new national generation of aeronautics specialists, with creative and competent young people.
To this end, several technicians from the different areas involved in the operation of the airport are already being trained to respond to the major challenges that this infrastructure presents.
Likewise, he continued, foreign specialists are transmitting new knowledge to national technicians, in a hybrid model.
On the other hand, Ricardo D’Abreu said that the international public tender for the management of the AIAAN will be launched next October.
Taking advantage of the advantages of the new airport
The Minister of Transport considers it essential to take full advantage of the processing capacity of 130 thousand tons per year of the new infrastructure, four times greater than that of the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport.
According to the official, the cargo segment, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, has come to have a great weight in the trade balance for the civil aviation sector, so the new airport becomes a hub (turntable) for goods of transit for the African continent and the rest of the globe.
To achieve this objective, he clarified, Angola will count on the attraction of international partners and new operators.
airport access
Ricardo D’Abreu highlighted the ongoing work on Deolinda Rodrigues (EN-230) and Fidel de Castro avenues (also known as Via Expressa), as well as the rehabilitation of alternative roads in the adjacent neighbourhoods.
He referred that the rail access is in 90% of physical execution, and that it will work in a direct line (New Airport Station / Bungo Station), adding that in the same direction will operate the routes of buses and taxis.
As for the Surface Metro, the Minister of Transport said that the route has already been defined, with work being carried out on the feasibility of its execution.
Dr. Agostinho Neto International Airport has two runways designed to serve 15 million passengers per year, of which 10 million in international traffic and five in the domestic segment, being designed to process a volume of 130 thousand tons of goods/year.
Location of 4 de Fevereiro International Airport
According to the official, the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport will continue to serve for special, charter and cargo flights, as well as to meet any constraints of the AIAAN.
“The current airport will not be deactivated”, assured Ricardo D ́Abreu.
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