MAURITIUS. The Prime Minister of Mauritius has inaugurated the new passenger terminal at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, which will double the hub’s capacity to 4.5 million passengers a year after its opening, scheduled for September.
The 57,000sq m facility has taken three years to complete, with US$305 million of investment from the Government of Mauritius with the support of the China Exim Bank. It will be managed by Airport Terminal Operations Limited (ATOL) – a partnership between the state-owned Airports of Mauritius Co. (90%) and Aéroports de Paris Group subsidiary Aéroports de Paris Management (10%) – which also designed and built the terminal.
Airports of Mauritius Co. is also the majority owner of Mauritius Duty Free Paradise, which is the entity responsible for all duty-free retail operations at the airport. The new terminal has 2,200sq m of duty free space.
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The terminal’s roof is modelled on the indigenous Traveller’s Tree |
Aéroports de Paris Management CEO Jacques Follain said: “This new terminal, which doubles the airport’s capacity, will play a key role in the economic development of Mauritius. The island wanted a world-class airport site in order to better fulfil the demands of its growing tourist industry.
“After the successful commissioning of this facility, Aéroports de Paris Management, through ATOL, will now be in charge of managing and operating this infrastructure by developing traffic and income from retail outlets.”
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The airport’s capacity has been doubled by the new terminal |
An inauguration ceremony for the new terminal was held on 30 August, attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius Navin Ramgoolam, as well as senior management from Aéroports de Paris and Airport Terminal Operations Limited.
The new facility is capable of handling large aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing Dreamliner, and at peak times will be able to handle up to 14 flight departures and arrivals.
The ground floor of the terminal houses tour operator desks, customs services and the baggage reclaim area, which uses six carousels. The first floor is home to the departure concourse, which has 52 check-in desks, situated less than 100 metres from the boarding lounges.
Finally, on the second floor, there is a 2,500sq m glazed area specially designed for people dropping off departing passengers.
The terminal’s roof is modelled on the Traveller’s Tree (the ravenala palm), a tropical plant found all over Mauritius. The central section, which symbolises the trunk, covers the entrance hall, while the “palm leaves” to the sides provide cover for the boarding lounges, which offer passengers a view over the mountains of Mauritius and Blue Bay lagoon.
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The new terminal will help to meet the demands of the island’s growing tourist industry |
