GASABO - Design works on the ongoing project to construct the New Bugesera International Airport (NBIA) have been completed by 60 per cent.

The revelations were made yesterday by the British engineering company, TPS Consult, which was contracted to do the design work, while presenting the airport’s works to different stakeholders during a function that took place at Ministry of Infrastructure headquarters in Kacyiru.

A contract signed between the Government of Rwanda and TPS Consult makes the latter responsible for coming up with a detailed design work for all buildings and infrastructure of the new airport to be located in Bugesera District in the Eastern Province.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Infrastructure, the new facility is designed to handle 450 passengers per hour to serve a projected figure of 1 million passengers per year in its first phase up to year 2025.

Subsequent phases will follow with high passenger and cargo capacities, according to the ministry. Since the start of the project, the government has maintained that the construction will be carried out through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), calling upon investors to sink money into the multi-million project.

During the event, TPS representatives presented the general concept picture of the Bugesera International Airport and the way it is meant to meet international standards, saying the project is yet to be finalised.

"This is just a snapshot of where we are,” said Hanif Macci, TPS Director as he introduced the presentation, the second of its kind since they started working on it.

Macci explained that the airport design approach has mainly focused on airtime, passenger and airport operator’s requirements, with emphasis on capacity and efficient ground infrastructure to allow stress-free experience and access to good parking, hotel facilities and security provisions.

The design work for Bugesera International Airport is expected to be completed by the end of this year. According to the release, the ministry of infrastructure terms the architecture of the terminal building of the proposed airport as a masterpiece: Its roof design was inspired by local topography, the hills that Rwanda is famous for.

"This has resulted in a dramatic undulating roof-scape that provides natural lighting and ventilation deep into the terminal building,” reads the statement released yesterday.

TPS Consult is internationally acclaimed after having worked on designs of international airports that include Madrid, London Heathrow and Durban in South Africa.

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