Angola's airport and air traffic authority Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea (ENANA) has announced the closure of Yuri Gagarin International Airport in the south western port city of Namibe. The airport will be closed until August 2013 at the earliest to allow for rehabilitation and expansion works to proceed.
For the duration of works, to be carried out by Brazilian contractor, Odebrecht, with Portugal's Somague and Angola's Omatapalo also on board, residents of Namibe will use Munkanka International Airport, in Lubango.
"We know that having to go up the Serra da Leba [mountains] to Lubango will be an inconvenience, but we think that these works will be an asset to the province, and it is therefore necessary to spruce up Namibe's airport," said the Director of ENANA, Luís Alberto Julião.
Source [Jornal de Angola]
The terminal will be expanded into two wings, which will result in increased aircraft handling capacity as well as increased passenger throughput via the construction of arrival and departure lounges.
Works will also involve the rehabilitation of the control tower, power station and general infrastructural maintenance of runway 08/26.
Since January 2009, ENANA has been working on the construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of more than 30 airports and runways countrywide. New airports that have opened include those in Huambo, Cuito Cuanavale, Soyo (Zaire Province), Uige, Dundo (Lunda Norte Province), Saurimo (Lunda Sul Province) and Luena (Moxico Province).