Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Transport, Ricardo D`Abreu, recognized in Luanda, the engagement of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, as the great driver for the implementation of the Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport.
The government official, who was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the new airport, highlighted that the Head of State was “the great driver and driving force of the remarkable and joint achievement”.
“The vision, capacity, stamina and generosity he had to transform this project into a truly national purpose and of extreme importance for the transversal development of the country, were admirable and should always be remembered by an entire nation”, he asserted.
He recalled that a collective will was created within a team of excellent professionals who put all their knowledge and commitment into implementing this project, which is why he thanked all those who, in 1997, thought about this infrastructure and, later, in 2005 , began the work, “which, through various circumstances, left us with the responsibility of making it happen”.
The completion of this important stage, he pointed out, will forever be linked to the confirmation of Angola as one of the most relevant actors in civil aviation in Africa.
He explained that an airport is not, in a dynamic economy, with potential for growth and development, a finished project, as the response to the different sectors that can develop their activity, through this infrastructure, technological evolution, environmental and sustainability challenges , “impose that it is a living and evolving body”.
He indicated that the reforms that have been undertaken over the past five years were all carried out with the aim of having a civil aviation ecosystem ready and prepared to take advantage of this fundamental element of the strategy.
“Today, we can say, without fear of making mistakes, that we do have a strong aviation sector that is recognized nationally and internationally. We need to consolidate and ensure that all those sectors, which can enjoy and take advantage of this venture, do so, without fear of human and technological capacity and efficiency, in order to be competitive in the context of African and global nations”, he expressed.
The new airport infrastructure 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.
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.
The infrastructure includes 26 branches of the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME), 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.
The new airport was designed to be a HUB (turntable where a large number of flights are concentrated at certain times), with domestic, regional and international connections, being Angola’s main gateway to the world.
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