• The African Aviation Tribune •: ■■ BURKINA FASO: (Pics) Construction of Ouagadougou's new Donsin International Airport set to start before year end.

Ouagadougou Donsin International Airport, Burkina Faso

[UPDATE 26 MARCH] Construction work on Ouagadougou's new Donsin International Airport, situated roughly 40km outside of the Burkinabe capital, is set to go ahead this year as officials from L'Agence pour la Sécurité de la Navigation Aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar (Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar - ASECNA) have put themselves at the disposal of the Burkina Faso government.

During his visit to ASECNA headquarters, Mr Lingani, the Burkinabe representative for the Donsin Airport Project, discussed the finalization of technical dossiers as well as who will manage the future airport, which is designed to both transform the country's economy as well as alleviate congestion in the capital Ouagadougou, where the current airport, Ouagadougou International, is set to outgrow its current infrastructure by 2017.

Overview

Ouagadougou International Airport, Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou International Airport (InternationalDevelopment)

Ouagadougou International Airport currently handles about 98 percent of all scheduled commercial air traffic into and out of Burkina Faso, with Air Burkina and Air France handling the bulk (60 percent of all scheduled passenger traffic). Based upon the World Bank's rather conservative estimates, passenger traffic through Ouagadougou is expected to reach about 850'000 by 2025, with the current airport's capacity set to be exceeded by 2016/2017. The total air cargo handled at Ouagadougou has grown from about 4'350 tons in 2005 to about 7'448 tons in 2009, giving an average growth rate of 14.4 percent a year.

Additionally other mitigating factors concerning the current airport's locale have come into play namely:

Ouagadougou International Airport occupies an area of about 425 hectares adjacent to the center of Ouagadougou and it is now completely surrounded by the urban fabric of the city giving it very little room to expand;
The existing airport poses an increasing safety threat and noise hazard for large parts of Ouagadougou;
The existing airport splits the northeastern quadrant of Ouagadougou into two, making it difficult to develop the necessary urban transport infrastructure required to accommodate the rapid (over five percent per annum) rate of urbanization of the city;
High cost (estimated at about US$200 million) required to upgrade the existing airport to increase its terminal capacity and offer an internationally competitive level of service;
The existing airport is expected to run out of terminal capacity by 2016/2017; construction of a new international standard airport is essential to make Burkina Faso a sub-regional aviation hub and to develop its largely untapped tourism potential;
Construction of the Donsin Airport could serve as a catalyst to accelerate the development of the private sector in the construction, aviation and tourism sub-sectors; and
Decommissioning and construction of a new airport would help to decongest the north eastern quadrant of Ouagadougou.

Source [World Bank]

As a consequence of the country's burgeoning economic growth, the Burkinabe government has set down plans for the construction of the new airport facility (as part of its vision 2025 entitled Burkina 2025) capable of sustaining Burkina Faso's strong economic growth with the aim of making not just Ouagadougou a sub-regional hub, but Burkina Faso as a whole, a sub-regional aviation hub with emphasis on developing its largely untapped tourism potential.

Following feasibility studies conducted by Lufthansa Consulting, the Burkina Faso Government has already identified a tract of land of size 4'400 hectares approximately 35 km north-east of Ouagadougou near the village of Donsin in the Central Plateau region where the new airport is to be built.

Schematic for Ouagadougou Donsin International Airport

(Courtesy Lufthansa Consulting)

Phase 2 Ouagadougou Donsin International Airport (UNECE)

Phase 2 Donsin International Airport (UNECE)

Phase 3 Donsin International Airport, Ouagadougou

Phase 3 Donsin International Airport (UNECE)

Source [United Nations Economic Commission for Europe]

The project will proceed in three phases depending on changes in traffic demand:

Phase 1 of construction starts in 2013 and should theoretically be completed in 2017. According to forecasts, it will cope with traffic growth until 2025. Infrastructure to be built in this phase will include
airside infrastructure to accommodate aircraft such as the Boeing 747/A380. The development plan includes two runways, a link to the rail network, eight passenger terminals with a separate terminal for pilgrims and low-cost airlines.
Phase 2 is an expansion phase dealing mainly with the terminal area and corresponding renovation of air traffic facilities. It will cope with passenger traffic until 2040.
Long-term planning covers the period after 2040, it ensures the development of long-term airport capable of operating for the next 60 years, taking into account traffic growth and non-aeronautical activities. This last phase will see the creation of an Economic Export Processing Zone, along with the construction of ramps, railways, resorts and commercial outlets, as well as the start of feasibility studies for a second runway.

Source [IIWEE]

Donsin will lead the construction of 47 km of roads and 33 km of track.

Finance

Taking into account the very large estimated upfront investment (about USD450million) required to develop the new airport to meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, the Government of Burkina Faso plans to create a public-private mixed capital Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company, with private sector investors likely to hold a controlling stake in the SPV.

The main purpose of the SPV will be to:

operate the existing Ouagadougou Airport until the new airport at Donsin has been developed;
contribute to the funding required to construct the new airport;
operate the new airport at Donsin once it is constructed.

Donors on-board include twenty financial institutions from African, European, Arab, Asian and international backround.

Thus far, for Phase 1 of the project, the unnamed donors have already committed to providing USD354million (XFA177billion) representing 90% of the total cost of the first phase. The rest of the required USD37million (XFA19billion) is to be covered by the partners themselves in due course. The private sector will also have a say through the mixed economy company that will be established and based on a public-private partnership (the SPV mentioned above).