Mozambican airports to get overhaul.

Airport infrastructure in Mozambique is to get an overhaul to the tune of $80 million, the national airports company ADM has said. The project includes the expansion and modernisation of Maputo international airport and the extension of the runway at the aerodrome of Pemba, capital of the northern province of Cabe Delgado. The military air base at the northern port of Nacala is also set to get an overhaul ahead of its opening to civilian traffic as part of the Nacala Development Corridor programme linking the city to neighbouring Malawi.

The restructuring is being carried out in view of an expected annual increase in air traffic of three per cent due to the growth of the national tourism sector. It also comes in readiness for the 2010 football world cup in South Africa, which is expected to put additional pressure on the countrys airports and air space. ADM currently handles approximately 1.3 million passengers a year, of whom 495,000 take off and land at Maputo. Of the 19 airports under its management, only two Maputo and Vilankulo, a tourist area north of Maputo currently run at a profit, the Mozambican news agency AIM reports.