Dec 6, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — The South Sudan government is working on a plan to upgrade the Juba International airport as the current set-up does not meet the required international standards.
According to the Vice President for Infrastructure Cluster, General Taban Deng Gai, the Juba International Airport needs to be redesigned as its initial master plan was tempered with.
“The master plan of Juba International Airport is tempered with,” VP Taban Deng Gai said during his visit to the construction site for a new airspace traffic management office on Friday.
He said most of the infrastructure within the airport is built in the wrong place.
“There are stores, there are buildings, and there are depots that are built in the wrong place. Even the VIP building is not in the proper place,” Gen. Taban said.
According to the Vice president, the infrastructure cluster cabinet will present a detailed plan to the council of ministers with suggestions for the removal of some buildings to have a “clear face of our national airport.”
On the Air Traffic Management project, VP Taban said that its completion would not only mean South Sudan will control its airspace but it will also be a means for the country to generate revenue.
South Sudan’s airspace is still being controlled by neighboring Sudan since independence as Sudan had not trained South Sudan staff on equipment and air traffic control.
In 2016, South Sudan signed a three-year deal with Sudan to manage and control its airspace.
The agreement says South Sudan will take full control of its airspace after training to operate the system.
The agreement which was supposed to end in September 2019 says South Sudan will take full control of its airspace after training to operate the system.
But last year, the government said it was not ready to take over the management of airspace from Sudan because of untrained staff and the investment needed to do so.
