By Sami Zaptia.
London, 31 January 2021:
Benghazi’s Benina airport terminal should be ready by the end of the year, its administration reported Thursday (28 January). The project will be implemented on a BOT basis financed by the Bank of Commerce and Development (BCD).
The revelation came during a meeting of the stakeholders on Thursday where progress was reviewed. A presentation was made of the latest developments in implementation, including designs and maps prepared by the Lebanese consulting office.
The implementing engineers and supervisors of the project were also present.
The need for serious and fruitful cooperation and intensified efforts to end the project on time by the end of 2021, were stressed at the meeting, the airport administration reported.
It reported that work has been in progress for some time and is still ongoing in the infrastructure phase.
Background to the BCD financed BOT project
It will be recalled that the Interim Government of eastern Libya had signed an agreement in August 2019 with the BCD, Libya’s first and largest private bank, to finance and construct a passenger terminal at Benina International Airport. The BCD is headquartered in Benghazi.
The agreement was a BOT (build, operate, transfer) model valid for 25 years, after which the bank returns the airport to the Libyan state.
It was reported that the terminal will be of ‘‘full specifications and international standards’’ in a 2.5-hectare plot of land allocated to the bank by the eastern government within Benina International Airport.
According to the agreement announced in 2019, the bank limited the duration of the implementation of the project to 8 months from the date of signing the contract.
On a related matter, it will be recalled that the BCD had established a new airliner in 2018, Berniq Airlines.
Airports Authority discusses Benina airport development | (libyaherald.com)
Benghazi’s Benina airport maintenance and development discussed | (libyaherald.com)
Benghazi’s Benina airport will not reopen until it is ready: General Manager | (libyaherald.com)
Berniq Airlines’ first Airbus A320 arrives in Benghazi’s Benina airport | (libyaherald.com)
