The Catumbela airport inaugurated on Monday is an alternative to Luanda’s “due to its size and capacity”, says the head of Angola’s airport and air traffic authority Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea (ENANA), anticipating an annual movement of 2.2 million passengers.

The new airport in Benguela province “can be used by any type of aircraft”, said Manuel Ceita, cited by Angolan news agency Angop. He added that new airport connections are also being studied.

The new airport is awaiting the certificate from Angola’s National Civil Aviation Institute (INAVIC). Under study are flights by the Angolan airline TAAG to Namibia and Portugal. There are also “informal contacts” with the airline TAP Air Portugal.

The airport has a new passenger terminal, two boarding bridges that can simultaneously handle four aircraft, a 3,500 metre runway and an apron that can hold four Boeing 777-300 or Boeing 767 aircraft or 22 small/medium sized aircraft at the same time. The installation cost a total of US$250 million.

The airport was built by Brazil’s Odebrecht group. The Portuguese company Sonae was also involved, in work commissioned by both Odebrecht and ENANA.

The President of Angola also inaugurated on Monday the Benguela Railway (CFB – Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela) central station in the city of Lobito, with passenger halls and loading/unloading platforms and capacity to handle six trains at the same time.

The CFB is 1,344 km long, crossing Benguela, Huambo and Moxico provinces, and currently has 67 stations.

The CFB also includes branch lines to the port of Lobito (7.08 km) and the city of Benguela (27.3 km), and a double line between Lobito and the airport (19.55 km). (macauhub)