2023-11-24 14:42:00
The new airport has opened in Angola’s capital – 27 years after the initial plans. That’s longer than it took at the German capital airport.
The world laughed at the construction of BER. Berlin’s new airport opened on October 31, 2020, 24 years after the decision for the Schönefeld location was made. Now even the BER is overshadowed. The new Luanda airport will welcome its first passengers in early 2024, almost 27 years after initial plans.
The new airport, which is located around 40 kilometers southeast of the metropolis of twelve million people, was officially inaugurated on Friday (November 10th), as the Angolan Ministry of Transport announced. The airport is named after the country’s first president, Agostinho Neto. The government wants to create an international hub for civil aviation with the new airport.
15 million travelers per year
The new airport has a capacity of 15 million travelers per year. The government expects that around ten million foreign citizens will use the airport every year. The total area is over 50 square kilometers. The terminal has an area of 160,000 square meters with 94 check-in counters. 34 passenger boarding bridges offer quick access to the aircraft.
The airport has two runways that can be used in parallel. The northern runway is 4200 meters long while the southern runway is 3800 meters long. Both slopes are 60 meters wide. In addition to passenger traffic, the cargo business also plays an important role. In the first expansion stage, 130,000 tons of freight are to be handled per year.
Planning began in 1997
Planning for Luanda’s airport began in 1997 after a World Bank study identified the need for a new airport. The feasibility study was completed in 2005. A year later, the government reserved the land for construction. Construction began in 2008 and was supposed to be completed in just 26 months by 2014.
Similar to BER, there were also several opening dates for Luanda’s new airport. It should only be ready in 2015/2016, then it should open in 2017 at the latest and then in 2020. All dates could not be kept. Construction was stopped once in 2009 because Angola could no longer make payments to the Chinese construction company China International Fund. The work was carried out predominantly by Chinese workers.
Old airport should remain as a reserve
The information for construction costs varies. According to the Portuguese newspaper News Diary The Angolan state invested around 2.5 billion euros from public funds in the project. Other sources speak of 5.7 billion euros.
Luanda’s previous airport, Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, is to be closed to scheduled traffic in the future, but will continue to handle private and special flights. In addition, it could also be used by local and international companies for maintenance and training purposes in the future.
Moving by July 2024
With the move of the country’s largest airlines, passenger traffic is scheduled to begin at the beginning of March. By July 2024, all 13 airlines that fly to Luanda will follow, including Tap, Air France and Lufthansa.
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