Global Arab Network | New airport at Enfidha boosts Tunisian transport

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New airport at Enfidha boosts Tunisian transport

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 13:14

Tunisia's transport sector is set to receive a boost of attention as the new airport at Enfidha (L'aéroport d'Ennefidha), a hour's drive from the capital Tunis, is set to start operations. The new infrastructure is set to galvanise foreign investment in industry as well as help the country better manage its tourism influx.

Initially expected to cost TD500m (€267m), the much-anticipated aiport ended up with a total cost of TD850m (€453m), according to media reports. Nonetheless, the structure represents a strategic development for the Tunisian economy. The turnover from the new Enfidha Airport is expected to reach €46m per year.

The airport is expected to handle about 7m passengers a year, and is conviniently located to serve the two important tourist areas of Sousse and Hammamet. Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV), the turkish operator that will manage the new Enfidha Airport, will also manage the Monastir airport.

The finalisation of the project is already having an impact on the development of adjacent areas. The new industrial park at Enfidha will greatly benefit from the opening of the airport.

"Since the start, the industrial zone was conceptualised based on its proximity to the Enfidha airport. So the interest of our industrial park is largely increased by the conclusion of the project," Isnardo Carta, the president and director-general of Développement Industriel Enfidha Tunisie (Diet), the industrial park at Enfidha, told OBG. "We have asked authorities to start with the second phase of the project, to begin development and commercialisation of the plots in the adjacent area, because the first phase of the industrial park has been practically filled."

Other aspects of the air transport sector are being upgraded. With an increasing number of tourist flights being directed towards Tunisia, the country is also upgrading its air control systems. Spain-based IT provider Indra will fulfill a contract worth over €10m to help the Tunisian Office de l'Aviation Civile et des Aéroports (OACA) double its air traffic management capacity.

Three new radar stations will be added to the Tunis-Carthage Airport, in order to help with long-distance flights from Europe to Africa. Additionally, the same revamping eyes the creation of a new control centre on the island of Djerba, one of Tunisia's main tourist destinations. This will increase the airport's work span, allowing for landings even during unstable weather.

Development of marine transport is also a priority. Tunisia is strategically located at the centre of the Mediterranean, between Africa and Europe, but some of its port infrastructure is fast becoming outdated. Existing infrastructure limits Tunisia's capability to handle sea cargo, as 50% of the world sea-transport fleet will be unable to access Tunisian ports by 2010 because of increasing vessel size, according to media reports.

However, Enfidha will receive a new port. The current port infrastructure is only equipped to handle ships laden with up to 25,000 tonnes, but logistical expansion will allow it to receive 80,000-tonne cargos. The Ministry of Transport also wants Tunisia's maritime fleet to increase its participation in the country's freight traffic, from the current 9% to 20% by 2016, local media reported.

The government is also looking at ways to enhance the country's transport systems using IT. By 2011, Tunisia aims to have an electronic ticketing and payment system for the train network and Tunis trams, local media reported. This will also allow users to recharge transport tickets trough mobile phones.

Infrastructural and transport projects are also seen as a way to increase employment and fuel the local economy. Tunisia has increased state-led investment this year as a countermeasure to recession in European economies, which affected demand for its exports and services. It plans a 5.4% rise in state investment in 2010.

Improvement to its transport infrastrcture will allow Tunisia to have a more competitive economic expansion, but in order to to allow this to reach all sectors of the population, further development of road networks conecting the coastal areas with the interior of the country is also essential.

Global Arab Network

This article is published in partnership with Oxford Business Group

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Last Updated on Thursday, 07 January 2010 14:57

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