The construction of a new terminal at the Ahmed Ben Bella airport, Algeria is scheduled to be completed at the end of March, this year. The airport is the second largest airport in Oran, Algeria.
The construction of a new terminal at the airport started in 2013 with a cost of about 38 billion dinars, roughly translating to $270.5 million. The goal of the new terminal is to strengthen the operational capacities of the airport. Currently, the airport has got two terminals (one serving domestic flights and the other serving international flights) and two runways. It is located in the southern part of the city, between the large salt lake, Sebkha d’Oran, and the Mediterranean Sea.
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The director of the airport, Nadjib Benchenine, confirmed that the technical tests were all carried out in January. Nadjib expressed that the technical tests were run on the surveillance cameras, elevators, and escalators. He also confirmed that in February, the installation of the following airport equipment is planned for:
– Thirty-three check-in counters.
– Five baggage belts.
– Six equipped telescopic walkways.
The new runway is planned to be 3,000 meters long and an additional 600 meters added onto the existing runway, including the taxiways. Algerian Minister of Transport, Aïssa Bekkai, visited the site for inspection on February 17. He confirmed that the new Oran terminal will be ready and delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
Increased passenger capacity
The construction of a new terminal at the Ahmed Ben Bella airport will allow the accommodation of an additional 3.5 million passengers every year. There is said to also be another possibility of further extension planned for in the design, to reach 6 million passengers per year. This project is just but a part of the Algerian government’s plan for reformation in the national aviation sector in the country.
