Nacala Airport
Encyclopedia
Nacala Airport is an airport
near Nacala
, in the Nampula Province
in Mozambique
.
Work is underway by the Brazilian multi-national engineering and construction firm Odebrecht International, part of the Odebrecht
conglomerate of companies, to rehabilitate the Nacala airport so that commercial aviation may begin. As a cargo and passenger handling station the work is budgeted at USD 80 million. An agreement between the Mozambican and Brazilian governments was signed in April 2011 to provide funding for the airport rehabilitation as well as significant upgrades to infrastructure at the Beira Port. Both projects are funded by the Brazilian National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), as part of a USD 300 million investment in Mozambique by Brazil. The project consists of the construction of passenger and cargo terminals, a control tower, maintenance building, firefighting building, runway, taxi ways, a parking lot and all necessary equipment and systems. The project will involve 23 months of construction work, with delivery scheduled for March 2013. The runway will be 3400 metres (11,154.9 ft), able to handle a Boeing
757 or 767 the airport will be able to handle 500,000 to 600,000 passengers a year. Nacala will be home to the one of the largest deep port on the east coast of Africa called Port of Nacala
, and the only natural deep water port in Mozambique. Once the airport is open people will not have to go to Maputo to get in to the country, according to Transport Minister Paulo Zucula
. The airport will become a hub for Northern Mozambique and have connections with Nampula
, lichinga
, Cuamba
and Pemba
.
of 410 feet (125 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 02/20 with an asphalt
surface measuring 2500 by 45 m (8,202.1 by 147.6 ).
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
near Nacala
Nacala
Nacala, also known as Cidade de Nacala or Nacala-Porto is on the northern coast of Mozambique is the deepest natural port on the east coast of Africa. It serves as the terminal for the Nacala Railway, a rail link to the landlocked Malawi...
, in the Nampula Province
Nampula Province
Nampula is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 81,606 km² and a population of 3.985.285 . Nampula is the capital of the province...
in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.
Work is underway by the Brazilian multi-national engineering and construction firm Odebrecht International, part of the Odebrecht
Odebrecht
Odebrecht S.A. is a Brazilian conglomerate in the fields of engineering, construction, chemicals and petrochemicals. The company was founded in 1944 in Salvador da Bahia by Norberto Odebrecht, and is now present in South America, Central America, North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the...
conglomerate of companies, to rehabilitate the Nacala airport so that commercial aviation may begin. As a cargo and passenger handling station the work is budgeted at USD 80 million. An agreement between the Mozambican and Brazilian governments was signed in April 2011 to provide funding for the airport rehabilitation as well as significant upgrades to infrastructure at the Beira Port. Both projects are funded by the Brazilian National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), as part of a USD 300 million investment in Mozambique by Brazil. The project consists of the construction of passenger and cargo terminals, a control tower, maintenance building, firefighting building, runway, taxi ways, a parking lot and all necessary equipment and systems. The project will involve 23 months of construction work, with delivery scheduled for March 2013. The runway will be 3400 metres (11,154.9 ft), able to handle a Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
757 or 767 the airport will be able to handle 500,000 to 600,000 passengers a year. Nacala will be home to the one of the largest deep port on the east coast of Africa called Port of Nacala
Port of Nacala
The Port of Nacala is in Nacala in northern Mozambique. It is the deepest port in Southern Africa. The natural deep harbour serves landlocked Malawi with a railway.- Terminals :There are four general cargo berths and one container berth...
, and the only natural deep water port in Mozambique. Once the airport is open people will not have to go to Maputo to get in to the country, according to Transport Minister Paulo Zucula
Paulo Zucula
Paulo Zucula is a Mozambican politician and Mozambique's Minister of Transportation and Communication since March 2008.-Early life:...
. The airport will become a hub for Northern Mozambique and have connections with Nampula
Nampula
Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique.It has a population of 471,717 making it the third largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Beira. It is home to the Mozambique National Ethnographic Museum, several markets, cathedrals and mosques.It is also the center of business...
, lichinga
Lichinga
Lichinga is the capital city of Niassa Province of Mozambique. It lies on the Lichinga Plateau at an altitude of 1360 metre, east of Lake Niassa . The town was founded as Vila Cabral as a farming and military settlement...
, Cuamba
Cuamba
Cuamba is a city and district of Niassa Province in Mozambique, lying north west of Mount Namuli. Before independence the town was known as Nova Freixo .It lies on the EN8 road and is connected to the city of Nampula in the east.- Transport :...
and Pemba
Pemba, Mozambique
Pemba is a port city in Mozambique. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado and lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay.The town was founded by the Niassa Company in 1904 as Porto Amélia, after a queen of Portugal, at the peninsula's south western tip and has grown around a port. The city is...
.
History
Nacala air base was built by the Portuguese in the colonial era.Facilities
The airport resides at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 410 feet (125 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 02/20 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 2500 by 45 m (8,202.1 by 147.6 ).