Global engineering firm Mace has been appointed to provide project management and site supervision services for the new Luanda International Airport project in Angola. The firm will partner Chinese construction contractor CIF who signed a US$3.8bn design and build turnkey agreement with the Angolan Ministry of Transportation (MoT).
Luanda Airport will feature two runways, one 13,780ft long (for the A380 airbus) and one of 12,470ft in length. The terminal has a gross floor area of 1,830,000ft2, and will have three piers, with ten gates per pier. The project also includes the construction of a rail link to the capital, to Luanda Province, and possibly to the neighboring Malanje Province. The airport will be a modern facility with the aim of becoming the aviation hub of western Africa. It will have capacity to accommodate up to 15 million passengers annually.
Construction work has already begun on the project and the Angolan MoT has appointed Mace to manage and supervise the remaining construction works to ensure the airport meets international aviation standards. The project is due to open in 2017. The Angolan Government formalized and approved the construction of a new airport in 2009 following the end of the civil war in 2002.
Carlos Cruz, project director for Mace, said, “Our team in Angola is proud to be part of what will be the most important construction project in the country for the next couple of years. It is an infrastructure of decisive importance for the economic growth of the country and no doubt it will put Luanda on the international aviation map.”
Nick Demain, regional director for sub-Saharan Africa, Mace, said, “As our first major aviation project in sub-Saharan Africa, this is an exciting project for the team and a great win given the local challenges. It also further strengthens our portfolio for the region as we continue to receive infrastructure and transport-related enquiries.”
