Aden Airport Repair in Full Swing [Archives:2000/03/Business & Economy]

Radhwan Al-Saqqaf
Yemen Times
Aden
Preparations and works are in bounds and leaps to finish the project of Aden airport by the Group of Bin Laden Companies. To know more about the works executed by this group, we interviewed the engineer Mohammed Subhi Alikah, manager of the project who said “we have started right now with the department of Power House, and so far we have received all the equipment and machines needed to pursue works in the project. We have also finished the terminal tarmac of the airport so as to keep Aden airport working. We are going to rehabilitate and repair Aden airport and also extend the tarmac so as to be 3100m long and 60m wide. By this, Aden airport will be able to receive big airplanes and use the latest technology applied in most of the airports of the world.” 
Q: What is the overall cost of the project?
A: This project costs more than $ 24 million of which $ 20 million is being offered by the World Bank and the rest by the Yemeni government.
Q: What are the stages of the project?
A: The current tarmac of the airport is asphalt and concrete and what we are doing right now is to remove the old asphalt of 10cm thickness and use a new technology on the asphalt of the runway, by which Aden airport will be the third airport all over the world to use this new technology, after Kuala Lumpur and Cairo airports. This technology is composed of some chemical materials to which bitumen material is added. This material changes the properties of the asphalt completely. The asphalt is going to have a strong resistance to any kind of oil which normally helps to melt the ordinary asphalt. This asphalt is going also to bear the heavy weights of heavy airplanes. Besides, it will also prevent any cracks.
Q: How many employees are working in this project?
A: Most of the employees working here are Yemenis who used to work with us in Saudi Arabia Kingdom. They have worked with us for a long time and are really qualified enough. We have around 226 Yemenis two of whom are engineers, supervisors and 42 foreign experts.
Q: What are the obstacles and difficulties you come to face?
A: As a matter of fact, the government is doing its best and is rendering all the facilities and services needed to help accelerate works in the project. I confidently say that works are executed in good and satisfying manner without any difficulties.
Q: When are you going to finish the works in this project?
A: We are going to finish working in this project in due time if it is not before that, that is in 2001. We are going to repair the building of the international departure. We also are going to repair the technical department and build a control tower at a height of 40m.
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