Luanda – Angolan minister of Transport Ricardo D’Abreu said Saturday that the transfer of 4 de Fevereiro Airport to the new Dr. Agostinho Neto International Airport would start in the second half of 2023.
The minister confirmed this to the press stating that the beginning of the transfer in the mentioned period aims to enable the start of commercial operations, in December 2023.
Speaking on the sidelines of a visit by the President João Lourenço to the construction works underway at the new Luanda Airport, Ricardo D’Abreu described the change as complex and multidisciplinary.
“It will begin in mid 2023 to allow time for operations to begin in December,” D’Abreu confirmed, adding that the airport would involve several specialised areas needed for it to function.
According to the Transport Minister, as of May next year several teams will be working in full until the start of commercial flights.
“The Airport Dr. Agostinho Neto is each time more a reality. We are convinced that within a year we will start travelling from this airport,” he said, noting that at this stage the new airport was receiving small finishing touches and some equipment.
Certification of the new airport
As for the certification process of the Dr. Agostinho Neto International Airport, he said that it is running smoothly and will be concluded at the end of next year, by the time of its inauguration.
The Transport Minister said on the occasion that the project of the airport city of Icolo e Bengo around the airport is being boosted, hence he encouraged the involvement of the private sector for its operational materialisation.
“The government is creating the conditions for the private sector to occupy this space in an orderly and sustainable way, so that we have an airport with modern support infrastructures,” he said.
New airport without anarchic construction
In relation to construction around the new airport, the minister said that evacuations had been carried out which had made it possible to stop the problem of disorderly construction on the perimeter.
The minister said that a neighbourhood, called the “Ngolome Project” was under construction, where homes would be built using the self-directed construction model, in order to mitigate the housing shortage in the region.
He noted that in the Ngolome Project the government would build all the technical and social facilities such as schools and markets.
Governor of Luanda
Also as part of the Ngolome Project, the governor of Luanda, Manuel Homem, said that the process of re-housing had already started and that financial conditions were in place.
Manuel Homem said that as part of the Ngolombe project the provincial government was dealing with the land titles that were being given to the beneficiaries.
According to him, the contacts are underway with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry so that part of the Ngolombe area can be used for cultivation.
New Luanda International Airport
Located in the district of Bom Jesus, municipality of Icolo e Bengo, the new Luanda International Airport has four runways, two of which are ready for large and small aircraft to land.
The experimental flight, which departed from Luanda’s 4 de Fevvereiro airport, marked the start of a certification period that will last around 18 months.
The new Luanda “Dr. António Agostinho Neto” International Airport, which covers an area of 1,324 hectares, has the capacity for 15 million passengers and a volume of goods of 50,000 tons per year.
Source: Angola Press News Agency