An agreement has been signed between the Honduran government and Flughafen München, operator of Munich Airport, for the construction of Palmerola International Airport in the city of Comayagua.
The new airport will feature a 200,000ft² terminal and 8,000ft runway, and will be capable of handling 1.5 million passengers annually. It will be built at a cost of approximately US$163m and will generate 3,500 direct and 7,000 indirect jobs.
The airport is intended to offer a safer alternative to the notoriously treacherous Toncontín International Airport in Tegucigalpa, which is considered to have one of the most treacherous runway approaches in the world. Construction work for the project is scheduled to begin in June 2016.
Juan Orlando Hernández, President of Honduras, said, “This is a special day for Honduras, Central America and the Caribbean region.
“Honduras is in a very special place in terms of transit potential and we are also blessed with many natural beauties.
“This generation of Hondurans keeps its eyes on the horizon with the aim of lifting this country, and that’s what we’re starting here today.”