Angolan President Joao Lourenco officially opened the new Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport at an opening ceremony here Friday, launching the airport’s cargo operations.
Lourenco expressed his gratitude for all the project’s builders, including the Chinese contractor, China National Aero-technology International Engineering Corporation (AVIC-ENG).
“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,” he said.
Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport, named after the country’s first president, is 40 kilometers southeast of Luanda, with a designed capacity of 15 million passengers per year and a 130,000-metric-ton cargo capacity.
Chen Feng, the charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Angola, emphasized the importance of the new airport project for Angola’s socio-economic development.
Chen said that the project is a crucial strategic initiative for Angola and a key project in the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Angola. During the construction, the project provided thousands of local jobs and trained many local technicians.
Source : XinHua