South Coast has now an international airport
The Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão International Airport, located in Suai, in the municipality of Covalima, was inaugurated on June 20th. The former regional airport was refurbished, following the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to allow the safe operation of airplanes, light aircraft and helicopters.
With a 1.5 km runway, the airport also has a heliport (helicopter landing) to facilitate emergency travel, namely medical evacuations. The new terminal includes facilities for customs, immigration and a fire station.
Multiple new services and job opportunities are expected to emerge together with the new airport, such as air traffic control, catering, maintenance, firefighing, weather services, safety, public transport, communications and fuel supply.
This infrastructure is of major importance for the economic development of the southern region of the country, both in the support of oil activities (benefiting companies working on oil and gas platforms) and of the communities living in the south coast that work in sectors such as industry and agriculture.
The Suai airport is part of the Tasi Mane Project, which includes plans for a Liquefied Natural Gas plant and the road linking Suai to Zumalai.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo, the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications, Gastão de Sousa, the Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment, Xanana Gusmão, among other personalities
