Angola unveils a new international aviation hub, constructed with the assistance of Chinese developers

This action coincides with the African country’s introduction of visa-free travel for visitors from more than 90 nations, including Russia.

On Friday, Angola declared the opening of its brand-new Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN) and the start of cargo operations through the facility.

The airport, which was built by the China National Aero-technology International Engineering Corporation, is purportedly the biggest that a Chinese contractor has ever built outside of China. According to Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu, the minister of transport for Angola, the country in southern Africa, the project had full funding from the government of that country.

Dedicated to Antonio Agostinho Neto, the country’s first president, AIAAN is situated at Bom Jesus, 40 kilometres southeast of Luanda, the capital. Its estimated cost exceeds $3 billion. With a total area of 1,324 hectares, it can accommodate 130,000 tonnes of cargo and 15 million passengers annually. The complex has hangars, retail stores, hotels, and office buildings.

Angolan President Joao Lourenco was quoted by the Xinhua news agency as saying during the opening ceremony, “We have just inaugurated and put into service this important infrastructure for the nation and the continent, which will not only serve Angola but also serve as a crucial hub for airport transportation in Africa and the world.”

Recently, Angola enacted laws allowing citizens of at least 98 countries to visit the country for 90 days without a visa. Among the nations where tourism is prioritised are China, Russia, the US, Portugal, Brazil, and Cape Verde.

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D’Abreu stated that in order to connect Africa to other continents, the government plans to use the new airport to build an international hub for civil aviation in Luanda.

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He told the aviation news outlet Simple Flying, “It truly contributes to the development of our region’s economies in a logic of ever greater integration and creation of added value for all.”

AIAAN’s construction got underway in 2008. After passing the landing and takeoff tests conducted by Angolan Airlines TAAG in June 2022, it was certified for the first time in September.

The China Daily newspaper said, citing the airport’s operating plan, that domestic flights are slated to commence in February of next year and international operations in June.