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ADB extends $1 million grant to Afghanistan airports
Singapore, Feb 01: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a one million dollar technical assistance (TA) for a project to rehabilitate Afghanistan`s airports.
Singapore, Feb 01: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a one million dollar technical assistance (TA) for a project to rehabilitate Afghanistan's airports.
The TA will prepare outlines, designs, and cost estimates for improving the country's major airports, with the final selection to be included in two projects proposed for ADB loan assistance in 2004 and 2005.
It will also draw up a 10-year civil aviation master plan that will provide a framework for sustainable and effective development of the civil aviation sector in Afghanistan.
''Runways, taxiways, and aprons show signs of severe ageing. Bomb craters and similar damage can also be seen at a number of locations,'' said the Manila-based ADB in a statement.
There are no functioning navigation aids or meteorological facilities in the country and practically all of the previous aviation communications systems have been destroyed or are not operating, it added.
''With Afghan airspace, one of the shortest routes between Asia and Europe, rapidly opening to international flights, there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the civil aviation infrastructure in the country to support regular air transport services on international and domestic routes,'' said Hideaki Iwasaki, an ADB project specialist.
''Keeping the Afghanistan airspace open to international over-flights will greatly benefit the international community and the country itself.''
The TA is newly included in the country strategy and program update for 2003-2005 for Afghanistan, which focuses on agriculture, transport, and energy. The planned lending project is ADB's first for Afghanistan's civil aviation sector.
Bureau Report
It will also draw up a 10-year civil aviation master plan that will provide a framework for sustainable and effective development of the civil aviation sector in Afghanistan.
''Runways, taxiways, and aprons show signs of severe ageing. Bomb craters and similar damage can also be seen at a number of locations,'' said the Manila-based ADB in a statement.
There are no functioning navigation aids or meteorological facilities in the country and practically all of the previous aviation communications systems have been destroyed or are not operating, it added.
''With Afghan airspace, one of the shortest routes between Asia and Europe, rapidly opening to international flights, there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the civil aviation infrastructure in the country to support regular air transport services on international and domestic routes,'' said Hideaki Iwasaki, an ADB project specialist.
''Keeping the Afghanistan airspace open to international over-flights will greatly benefit the international community and the country itself.''
The TA is newly included in the country strategy and program update for 2003-2005 for Afghanistan, which focuses on agriculture, transport, and energy. The planned lending project is ADB's first for Afghanistan's civil aviation sector.
Bureau Report