Mozambique's airports to be reduced in number

MR EMANUEL CHAVES, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Airports of Mozambique (ADM), told a FACIM business seminar that the country's international airports have to be reduced to 3 in number. Southern of the country, he said, will be served by Maputo International Airport, the centre of the country by Beira and the North by Nacala. Nampula, Pemba and Vilanculos airports, among others, will no longer receive international traffic directly. The main purpose of this measure is to transform Nacala International Airport which was opened last year in the north of the country, into an international passenger hub to compete with airports in Johburg, Addis Ababa, Kenya and Dar es Salaam. According to Mr Chaves, quoted today by Diário de Moçambqiue, the current provision of 8 international airports is not very helpful, and the proposal has been submitted to government of Mozambique for review and approval. Speaking at a Nacala Airport promotion seminar this Thursday at the Maputo International Fair (FACIM) in Marracuene, Chaves stressed that Mozambique will not be the first to take this course. South Africa and Ethiopia have been aware of the economic benefits of reducing points of international arrival and departure in their respective territories for a long time. South Africa, for example, despite being a much larger country than Mozambique and having more air traffic, has only three international airports, while Ethiopia has only one. Chaves noyes that the reduction in the number of international airports will have to be balanced by more frequent and cheaper domestic routes. “We are already working on this with Mozambique Airlines,” he said. But the focus of the FACIM seminar was essentially the recently opened Nacala International Airport, which, given the small amount air traffic it has registered since last year, is perceived in some circles to be something of a white elephant, according to the Diario de Mozambique.