Interministerial Commission meeting to negotiate financial support for Dili Airport requalification
A meeting of the Interministerial Commission was held on July 26 to negotiate financial support for the requalification of the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport at the Government Palace in Dili. The meeting aimed to define the planning and scheduling of coordination with all the parties involved in the requalification process of Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport.
The Interministerial Commission for the negotiation of financial support for the requalification of the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport was established on May 24, 2019, fulfilling the commitment of the Eight constitutional Government to implement improvements at the Dili Airport and in order to ensure the coordination of the negotiating intervention of the various governmental departments under the negotiation of the Government of Japan’s proposed support to the airport requalification works. The Inter-ministerial Commission is chaired by the Minister of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and includes the Acting Minister for Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Minister for Public Works and the Minister of Transport and communications.
The Government of Japan intends to support with USD$ 44 million the requalification of the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport. This project provides for the extension of the track, a new control tower, the requalification of the passenger terminal and improvements of the access routes to the airport. The current runway is 1850 meters long and several options are being studied for its extension, with the planned requalification to be implemented meaning it will reach at least 2200 meters, a length necessary to ensure the landing of planes with larger wingspan. During the construction period the operability of the airport will be guaranteed. In addition to the Government of Japan, the government of Timor-Leste also has the support of other development partners in this project, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation (IFC).
The Interministerial commission will set up a technical work team consisting of representatives of relevant ministries, which will be responsible for technical decisions and for making recommendations to the Interministerial Commission on Project development. This working group will also ensure that all technical, social, financial and legal requirements are strictly fulfilled, ensuring coordination with all the entities involved in achieving the government's expectations and requirements for Airport requalification.
Until September 2019 a detailed study will be prepared that will include the various technical options for the project and its social, financial, legal and environmental impacts, with a view to see the Master Plan and its work schedule approved in the Council of Ministers.
The Minister of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dionísio da Costa Babo Soares, the Minister of Public Works, Salvador Soares dos Reis Pires, the Minister of Transport and Communications, José Agustinho da Silva, the president of the National Aviation Authority of Timor-Leste (Anatl), Romualdo da Silva, the director general of the National Development Agency, Samuel Marçal, the Coordinator of the Secretariat of great projects, Krispim Fernandes and other representatives of relevant ministerial lines participated in the meeting.
