LILONGWE, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Malawi's state-owned Airports Development Limited (ADL) said it has identified a partner to develop an "airport city" at Kamuzu International Airport, the country's largest airport in the national capital of Lilongwe.

Victor Lungu, chief executive officer of the ADL, told local media that a government agency that approves investment partnerships between state-owned enterprises and the private sector has already finished the screening process of the deal.

"The developer is ready with the project, but we will have to do the feasibility study, which will cost 1.6 million U.S. dollars, and it will be done on a cost-sharing basis," said Lungu.

The project will include the construction of hotels, shopping malls, an aviation university campus, housing units and other commercial facilities, with more than 3,000 hectares of land already available, according to Lungu.

He further said a new passenger terminal at the Kamuzu International Airport will be constructed to accommodate the rising number of passengers. The current main terminal is already undergoing a facelift.

Similar airport expansion is also earmarked at the second-largest airport, Chileka International Airport, located in the country's commercial city of Blantyre, about 300 km south of the capital.

Two new airports are also planned in the eastern lakeshore district of Mangochi, the country's main tourist area, and in Mzuzu, the third-largest city in the northern part of the country.

Williams Banda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, confirmed to local media the receipt of the proposal, saying it has been endorsed at the Treasury level and now awaits final Cabinet approval for implementation.

The two international airports in Lilongwe and Blantyre are on the recovery of passenger numbers that surpassed 500,000 in 2023, but the numbers are still below pre-COVID-19 levels, according to Lungu. Enditem

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