Construction work is currently underway on the new Luanda International Airport located in the municipality of Bengo and Icolo in Angola.

The Angolan government had approved construction of the project in 2009. The airport project is being undertaken by the China International Fund Limited (CIF) and the Ministry of Transport in Angola following the signing of an FIDIC contract worth US $3.8bn.

The new airport will cover an area of 1,324 hectares as it attempts to become the aviation hub of western Africa. The airport is designed to cater for 15 million passengers and 50 000 tons of cargo annually.

It will have two double runways, the northern runway of which will be 4.2km long while the southern runway, once complete, will cover a distance of 3.8km.

The main terminal will have a floor area of 170 000m2, with three piers each having ten gates. There will also be a rail link, built to connect the airport to Luanda provinces and possibly Malanje province.

The facility should help spur economic growth in Angola by putting Luanda on the International aviation map. The project is expected to be complete by 2017.

Source: Construction Review Online