Minister of Civil Aviation: Jet Planes Will Be Able to Land at Hargeysa Airport Next Year

Hargeysa, November 3, 2007 (SL Times) – Somaliland Minister of civil aviation Ali Mohamed Waran Ade announced last Saturday that Hargeysa international airport run way will be repaired and extensively rebuilt.

The minister stated that the government will invest $400,000 to enlarge the airport run way, which will allow heavy jet planes to land at Hargeysa airport for the first time.

The minister added that the project will be finished in early 2008.

“Somaliland Diaspora who come home in the summer meet problems when they are flying to Hargeysa Airport, because on their way home the planes take them from the country where they live to countries that are Somaliland’s neighbors, then these passengers are put in low quality foker planes that fly them to Hargeysa. The reason this is the case is because Somaliland airport cannot handle heavy jet planes. But we are expecting that in early 2008, jets will be able to land at Hargeysa Airport for the first time in history,” said the Minister of Aviation in a press conference he held at the VIP reception of Hargeysa airport.

“Most of the airline companies in the country use Russian foker airplanes. African Express Airways is the only company that uses Jet planes, but its airplanes serve only in Berbera Airport, which is the only airport in the country in which huge jet planes can land. African Express Airways, too, will benefit once Hargeysa airport is improved because then its passengers will not have to go all the way to Berbera then come to Hargeysa,” the minister explained.

Source: Somaliland Times