Somalia to build new airport in Mogadishu amid airspace Safety Concerns

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Federal Government of Somalia has announced plans to construct a new airport in Mogadishu,  the capital, a move meant to ease congestion at the Aden Adde International Airport,  which was built over five decades ago when the country gained independence.  

Aden Adde International Airport is Somalia’s only standard airport,  making it difficult to match with daily demand.

The airport is located near the Indian Ocean and is the most protected area in the country.  Ahmed Macalin Hassan, the General Manager of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority,  said the new airport will be located in the El Jamaaq area and will accommodate the growing demand for domestic flights in the country where air transport is considered the safest. 

“The city of Mogadishu will have a new airport that will be available for the services needed by all types of aircraft that operate locally and abroad. We have evaluated the land and it is a suitable land to implement the construction of the airport,” the General Manager said.

According to him, the Mogadishu International Airport (Aden Adde International Airport), handles over 200 flights in a single day, a reason contributing to the decision to build a new airport. Most people in Somalia prefer to use air transport.

Flydubai Airlines announced that it suspended its operations to and from Mogadishu, Somalia, effective June 11, 2024, citing safety reasons. In a message sent to its partners, the airline stated that its last flight to and from Mogadishu would be operated on June 10, 2024.

The project, he added, underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing the infrastructure and capacity of the nation’s aviation sector, he said. There is also a plan to construct new airports in regional states to ease the congestion in the capital,  Mogadishu.

Somalia is fresh from decades of internal wrangles which destabilized the country before Al-Shabaab militants escalated the situation.  The militants control large swathes of rural central and southern regions of the Horn of Africa nation.

GAROWE ONLINE