By Ruth Yeabu Sesay
The Minister of Transport and Aviation Kabineh Kallon says the new Freetown International Airport being constructed by the private Turkish firm Summa Group is 75 percent completed. This was disclosed at the weekly Government Press briefing on Thursday 26th January.
As per agreement, the Turkish company is to run the Airport for 25 years after which the government and the people of Sierra Leone will take over the property.
Kallon allayed the fears of the public that no staff will lose their job as a result of the transition leading to Summa eventually taking control of the facility. He emphasized that the present airport workers are to be employed by the company will have the full package of their benefits and some might be retained after the end of their one year contract, based on performance.
Director General of Civil Aviation, Moses T. Baio, said the airport will now accommodate even the largest plane in the world as the runway has been expanded to 3km.
He said there is a new control tower, and a taxiway which the old one didn’t have. Baio said there are also solar panels which will help in cutting down expenses on thermal power.
Among the other things that have been added to ensure that the airport matches international standard is a fully furnished VIP lounge for passengers to relax while waiting.
The agreement between Summa and the Government of Sierra Leone states that the former is to take over the operations of the airport when 75 percent of the work has been completed. The airport project which started in 2021 costs $270 million.
When the proposed Mamamah Airport championed by the previous government was mentioned with regards to the money spent in constructing the Summa airport, Baio said” Mamamah Airport was not the dream of the people of Sierra Leone and was not part of the national development priority”. He ended his presentation by saying that the “the Freetown International Airport is the best decision ever taken by the president (Bio).”
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