U.S.$110 Million for New Domestic Terminal
14 November 2010


Maputo — Mozambique's publicly-owned Airports Company (ADM) has announced that it will soon embark on the construction of a new domestic passenger terminal at Maputo Airport, budgeted at 110 million US dollars.

The Chairperson of the ADM Board of Directors, Manuel Veterano, announced the plans during a gala dinner on Friday given on the occasion of the inauguration of the new international terminal.

The international terminal cost about 75 million dollars, provided by China, as a low interest loan. China is also expected to finance the construction of the new domestic terminal.

There will first be investment of three million dollars in acquiring new fire fighting equipment and a new VOR (very high frequency omni-directional radio), a standard radio navigation system for aircraft.

"After this phase, there follows the construction of the largest and most modern domestic terminal in the country, and a building for the firemen, a total investment of 110 million dollars", said Veterano. The two terminals and all the ancillary equipment, taken together, amount to an investment of 190 million dollars.

Currently, ADM is also negotiating with private companies the possibility of building a new hotel and a range of offices on land owned by the airport. "All these actions will give our airport a modern and safe infrastructure, in line with international standards", said Veterano.


ADM is responsible for managing 19 airports and aerodromes, of which five have the status of international airports.

Modernisation covers not only Maputo, but several other key airports. Thus the old military air base at Nacala, on the northern coast, is to be turned into an international airport. The runway will be repaired and extended, and a new apron will be built that can accommodate four planes simultaneously, including two large aircraft for international flights.

"All the airport buildings will be entirely new, with a total covered area of 16,000 square metres", according to an ADM document on Nacala. The Brazilian government has promised to finance the Nacala airport to the tune of 80 million dollars

New Terminal Should Encourage Tourism - Guebuza
14 November 2010


Maputo — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza declared on Friday that the new look of Maputo International Airport should not be regarded simply as a new passenger terminal but as facility to encourage increased tourism.

Speaking during the inauguration of the new terminal, Guebuza said it should be exploited as a tourist attraction, and as a site for leisure, and for the purchase and sale of quality products.

"By making available infrastructures of international quality such as these, our government is responding to the challenges of national development, within a national and international context in which airports are playing a predominant role", said Guebuza.

The construction of the new international passenger terminal took 18 months, and cost about 75 million dollars, provided by China as a low interest loan

The project to modernise the airport also includes a new cargo terminal, a VIP lounge, an air traffic control tower, a car park that can hold 600 vehicles, and water storage facilities.

The international terminal can now handle 900,000 passengers a year. It offers modern check-in facilities, and passengers can enter and leave aircraft by means of retractable gates, instead of walking across the apron.

The Chinese ambassador to Mozambique, Huang Songfu, said that the ceremony was not just a simple delivery of a completed building, but a symbol of the success hoped for from the terminal, and of the cooperation between China and Mozambique.


"We hope that the new terminal will create a good image for passengers who come to Maputo, allowing contact between Mozambique and the rest of the world, stimulating the development of aviation in Mozambique, and strengthening the friendship between Mozambique and China", he said.

Huang added that, apart from the new terminal, the package of Chinese financing also includes building the new national stadium and the new premises for the Attorney-General's Office, both in Maputo city, and the Science and Technology Park at Maluana, about 80 kilometres north of the city.

Taken together, the terminal, the national stadium, and the new home for the Attorney-General's Office cost about 180.5 million US dollars.

It's more like a symbol for the beginning of the end of South African and European construction companies in Mozambique. Once installed, the Chinese contractors will consistently underbid the competition, even losing money if necessary, losses covered by the Chinese government. It's all very illegal under international contracting and WTO rules, but nobody ever, and I mean ever, confronts China on this.

I hope they leave the air facility in Beira untouched; I like it as is.

Glad to see the Chinese are investing in Mozambique. Where's our State Department and Hillary???

Gentlemen

CHINA DOES NOT INVEST, IT BRIBES

In the North, they have started a Uranium mine, as well as the biggest open cast coal mine,

Do you think they diod Environmental Impact studies, not bloody likely

And I will take a bet they will not have paid for those either, their invesmtnet have just been offset thatts all

CHINA WILL KILL AFRICA AS SURE AS DAISIES

"CHINA WILL KILL AFRICA AS SURE AS DAISIES"

China is doing the same thing all over Africa. basically getting mineral and timber rights in return for building "free" or low cost public works projects. same thing is also happening elsewhere. when i was in Costa Rica in May, there was a new COVERED soccer stadium being built in downtown San Jose. according to the locals, it is being built by China for free- with the backdoor understanding that China will get timber harvest rights for tropical hardwoods from the government. the construction is going on 24/7 and is ahead of schedule.the locals are really pissed because 99% of the workers are Chinese brought in en masse to do the work, i.e. no local workers employed. government officials of course are happy with the deal( bribes???) when i flew through Harare last year, there were more Chinese in the airport than Caucasians- i wonder why?

"largest and most modern domestic terminal in the country" Compared to?

This is another stage in the colonialisation of Africa except By CHINA this time for the minerals.
They are rapists of commodities and have attempted similar here in Australai except through the equity markets and we have much greater environmental safe guards in place.
In another area on this forum someone commented on being in Uganda recently and noticing Chicom troops everywhere!!
The rest of the world is shit scared to even report this in their press let alone do anything about it!

the chines military have been present in east africa for a few years. Some say it is to protect there Chines nationals who are working on the construction projects. I witnessed a convoy of over two hundred chines vehicles at Voi headed north in 2108. the chines have in essence bought and payed for Africa. they bribe the politicizations for the construction contacts then they loan the money to the Governments for the projects AND then there companies get the contacts to build the projects.