Khartoum New International Airport

The Khartoum International Airport project is the new airport of Sudan¹, located in Omdurman, 40km from the Khartoum’s city center. It is designed to replace the current Khartoum International Airport², which was built in 1947 and is suffering from “serious congestion, delay and cancellation problems” according to a report by the University of Khartoum’s Faculty of Engineering ³.

The new airport project is part of the strategic plan by the Sudan Airports Company (SAC)ⁱ to maintain, develop and expand the country’s airports. SAC envisions the new airport as a passenger and cargo hub for Africa⁴. The project aims to alleviate pressing problems when it opens, as it would be capable of handling over six million passengers annually. Additionally, the new airport aims to meet the general goals of SAC’s strategic plan by adhering to international standards and enhancing operational efficiency and passenger experience through new technologies and digital operations ⁵.

The airport’s passenger terminal covers an area of 86,000 square meters⁶ with an annual capacity for 7.5 million passengers⁷. The outer area of the airport measures 79 square kilometers, while the inner area covers 22 square kilometers. The airport will also have two 4,000-meter runways capable of handling large aircrafts such as the Airbus A380. The master plan for the airport features a free zone area, an industrial area, stores and airfield system⁸. Additionally, the airport will have a 300-room international hotel ⁹.

The project is under implementation, with construction having started in 2019¹⁰. The project will be implemented over these 3 key phases¹¹:

• Phase 1 (Initiated in 2019): The first phase will be delivered to fulfill a capacity of 6 million passengers¹². It includes the construction of a terminal building, a runway with a length and width of 4,000 meters and 75 meters respectively, as well as 10 boarding bridge roads and a 56.1 meters’ air traffic control tower. Additionally, it will feature modern systems of operations, including those for baggage handling, aviation security, and air traffic control¹³. This phase will also include the construction of the following additional facilities:
• Conference Center
• Airport business center covering an area of 13,000 square meters and consisting of 15 rooms
• 8,000 square meters of commercial space
• An airport administration building covering 22,641 square meters
• A 15,000 square meter large commercial center
• An airport hotel with 300 rooms and an area of 26,435 square meters
• A visitors’ center on an area of 3,126 square meters, designed for up to 500 visitors
• A shopping mall on an area of 5,000 square meters¹⁴.
• Phase 2: The second phase will be delivered to meet a capacity of 9 million passengers¹⁵. This phase will include the construction of a 4,000 meter-long runway with a terminal covering 35,000 square meters and the apron 170,000 square meters¹⁶.
• Phase 3: the third and final phase will extend the capacity of the airport to over 12 million passengers¹⁷.

The project also includes the construction of one cross-taxiway, two parallel taxiways, aprons, cargo center (regional hub), aircraft maintenance hangar, housing areas and catering, airport park and airport mosque, health facilities, and airport roads and airport access roads¹⁸.

The project is initiated by the Government of Sudan (GOS) and its Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)^{19 20}. The German company Dorsch International developed the masterplan as well as the concept design for the Passenger terminal, the ATC tower, and other key buildings of the new airport ^{21 22}. The first phase of the project will be implemented by Turkey based construction firm, Summa^{23 24}. The estimated cost is USD1.15 billion, funded by the Export-Import Bank of China²⁵, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development ²⁶ and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) ²⁷.

The airport also adopts mitigation measures to save energy, including the use of LED lighting, solar energy, and optimization of air conditioning²⁸. The company is also addressing the connectivity issue through a coherent route development plan²⁹.