Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) has announced construction of a new international airport in the northwest of the country.

The airport has not yet been officially named, but is currently being referred to as the Copperbelt International Airport. It is located about 13km west of Ndola city, off Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway.

Mweembe Sikaulu, Communications & Brand Manager, told Tourism Update that the airport is expected to commence operations in 2021. “Amongst the other facilities, the airport comprises the following: a one-million passenger terminal building capacity, 3.5km-long runway and associated taxiways and aprons, control tower and air traffic building, rescue and fire station, car parks and roads, fuel farm, cargo terminal, airport hotel, staff office building, communication navigation and surveillance, aircraft maintenance hangar, power, water and sewer reticulation,” said Sikaulu.

The airport will be able to accommodate Boeing 747-800-sized aircraft. Sikaulu further said that though the airport will largely serve the mining and trade industries on the Copperbelt and North Western provinces and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the airport will also serve tourism areas in the northern part of Zambia.