Freetown International Airport opens new terminal

Friday 3 March marked a milestone in Sierra Leone’s aviation sector with the opening of Freetown International Airport’s new 14,000 m2 terminal.

The new facility is three times the size of the airport’s existing terminal and will be able to handle up to 90,000 passengers per month (fives times the current capacity) and eight widebody jets simultaneously. The terminal has also been developed with sustainability at its core with all its power needs met by a 1.5 MW solar farm.

The terminal opening, which was conducted by Sierra Leonean President Julis Maada Bio, marks the first time in the country that a completely new international airport terminal has been constructed since the country gained independence in April 1961.

“Today is a great day, a new day for all of us. This is the first time in the history of this country that a completely new international airport terminal has been constructed, one that has the latest technology and the highest compliance standards to make it more attractive to more international airlines,” said President Bio.

“We now have an ultramodern air terminal that is three times larger than the existing terminal and has brand new facilities that will accommodate up to a million passengers a year to make it a major transit hub in the sub-region. We now have on offer a safer, modern and very comfortable airport,” he continued.

The construction of the new terminal (which was tasked to Turkish contractor Summa) follows the recent resurfacing of the airport’s 3.2km runway, taxiways and aprons. Under a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) agreement Summa took on the capital costs (US$270m) involved in the terminal’s construction in exchange for the right to run the airport for 25 years.

Plans to develop a five-star hotel near the airport alongside residential and commercial properties are now being explored, which would further enhance the airport’s position as a regional hub.

Operations are due to begin imminently at the new terminal, although it is expected to take several months for the transfer of all airlines and activities from the existing terminal to be complete. While the fate of the existing terminal is yet to be decided, it is likely that it will be taken over by the Sierra Leone Armed Forces as the headquarters of its military air operations.