APA – Conakry (Guinea) – Guinea’s main airport in Conakry which will be given a facelift and expanded will have a capacity of three million passengers per year.
By Aboubacar Siddy Diallo
In 2022, the Ahmed Sekou Toure International Airport handled a record 630,000 passengers and according to the operator of the airport, this figure is expected to triple over the next 20 years.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forcasts that global air traffic will almost double by 2035, from 3.8 billion to 7.2 billion passengers.
This surge in air traffic is putting additional pressure on Conakry airport, which is already operating at full capacity.
The Ahmed Sekou Toure airport is therefore facing new challenges in effectively managing the growth in passengers and cargo, as well as meeting global safety standards.
At the inauguration ceremony for the expansion and renovation of Conakry Airport, the Director General of the Conakry Airport Management and Operating Company (SOGEAC), Namory Camara, assured Guineans that “this project will inevitably contribute to the competitiveness of our airport in relation to the rest of the world.”
The expanded airport will have a capacity of three million passengers per year, with all the facilities of the most modern airports and the most appropriate safety conditions, according to Félix Lamah, Minister of Transport in the transition government.
According to the Prime Minister, Guinea’s geographical location and productive potential should enable it to attract significant traffic in the exchange of goods and services.
“The prospects for economic development within the ECOWAS zone and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) across the continent are pushing us to move faster and not lag behind,” said Prime Minister Dr Bernard Goumou.
The expansion and modernisation project will include a new 32,000sq m passenger terminal, a new 3,600sq m cargo terminal, a control tower, a new fire station and a new power plant.
A presidential pavilion and a hotel complex are also planned.
The project, which was launched by the Guinean government on Saturday April 8, 2022, will take 20 months to complete.
The first phase will cost 25 million euros.
ASD/ac/lb/as/APA