Newly rebuilt Somaliland airport, Berbera International Airport is set to commence regular scheduled civilian passenger flights with the airport reopening marking another positive step towards turning Berbera city into an economic hub.
Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi said with the new infrastructure put in place at the airport makes it one of the most modern aviation facilities in the continent.
According to airspace-africa.com, he said: “Today, we inaugurate one of the largest airports in Africa, we thank the Emirates government for their serious investments in Berbera international airport and infrastructure and equipment to ensure that the airport meets international standards and the new infrastructure being put in place to make it one of the most modern aviation facilities in the continent,” said Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Due to the growing need of rebuilding the airport to serve the needs of both local and international investors and tourists at the same time, the opening of the airport adds to the growing status of the port city of Berbera which has already been boosted by the brand new Berbera Seaport.
Berbera airport was initially built by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, with a 4km runway, one of the longest in Africa. It was also rented by the NASA during the 1980s as an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle until 1991.The controversial Airport was used by the UAE military since 2017 and was only returned to civilian use in 2019 marking its reconstruction.
Somaliland is a self-declared republic, unrecognised by the international community despite maintaining trade relations and political contacts with various countries in Africa, Europe and most notably, the United Arab Emirates.
