The international airport of Nacala should by the end of the year get international certification to receive foreign aircraft, said the Director of Transport and Communications of Nampula province, Francisco Bonzo.

Bonzo told daily newspaper Notícias, that a team from the Civil Aviation Institute of Mozambique was due to arrive next week to carry out the tasks stipulated in the timeline of activities drawn up for certification to be awarded.

Nacala airport, which opened in 2014, was built from scratch, as part of the expansion of airport services underway in Mozambique, and its transformation from an existing airbase cost around $176 million and was the responsibility of Brazilian construction group Odebrecht.

The airport has a 3,100-metre runway, which is served by a taxiway and an apron that is wide and long enough to accommodate two large planes and two mid-sized planes at the same time.

In fact, the Nacala airstrip is the second largest in the country after the one in Maputo international airport, which is 3,560 metres long, and this mean it is big enough for Boeing 747-400 aircraft to land there.

The airport is designed to accommodate 1,240 arriving and departing passengers at peak times and on the ground floor it has check-in desks, public areas, a domestic departure lounge and an international departure lounge, domestic and international arrivals hall, various offices, including those for airlines, VIP lounges, cafés and shops.

Source: Macauhub