The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, inaugurates today, the Chongoene Airport, an infrastructure budgeted at US$75 million which is the first in the southern province of Gaza.
“The venture is an infrastructure built from scratch to serve and boost the development of Gaza province, whose construction was financed by funds disbursed under the cooperation with the People’s Republic of China,” indicates the Presidency, in a note to the media.
The construction works of the airport were launched in 2018 and result from a financing made available by the Chinese Exim Bank, according to data advanced by the Presidency that year.
The infrastructure, which covers an area of about 140 hectares, is the first in Gaza province and is located in a district.
“With the inauguration of the airport, Gaza province now has an infrastructure sized to receive about 220,000 passengers per year, as well as handling various types of cargo,” the statement added.
The airport has a passenger terminal, fire station, power station (next to the water tanks), cargo terminal, waste treatment plant, fuel supply centre and a sentry box.
The passenger terminal, one of the highest infrastructure facilities, is equipped with basic services in a public area for accompanying travellers and visitors. It also has shops, restaurants, offices, a check-in area (with four counters), as well as domestic and international departure lounges for around 120 people each.
The terminal also has a disembarkation area, and the international wing has a common area for passport verification and baggage collection.
The terminal will house customs, migration, veterinary control, agriculture and police services, amongst others.
The airport covers an area of 1,400,000 square metres, equivalent to 140 hectares, with a runway 1800 metres long and 45 metres wide.
The infrastructure is equipped with the equipment required by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). Studies show that the airport will make it possible to develop local industry, tourism and above all agriculture, which is one of the province’s potential assets. The airport has been prepared to receive Embraer 145, 170 and Q-400 aircraft.
