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EBRD to assist Dushanbe runway emergency repairs
Tajikistan’s only international airport will shortly be open again to long-haul international flights, following the implementation of the Dushanbe Runway Emergency Repairs project by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
A technical cooperation agreement worth US$4 million was signed today in Dushanbe by the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Mr Djamshed Karimov and by Stijn Albregts, the Director of the EBRD’s country team for Tajikistan. At the ceremony, Mr Albregts said: “We are well aware of the urgency of the project and it is a top priority for the country. The airport is the country’s lifeline to the rest of the world, and since there is only one runway the project is essential. A well functioning airport will greatly support the renewed attempts by the Tajik Government to speed up economic development.”
The project has been made possible by a grant from the Dutch Government.
Tajikistan’s main airport is located in Dushanbe, the capital city. The country is landlocked with high mountains and its main transport link is by air, both to the outside world and internally. Due to a lack of funds the airport’s runway is in a critical state and large or wide-bodied aircraft have not been able to land since July.
As a first step the operation aims to repair and strengthen the runway, which should take approximately eight weeks before winter sets in. The project has been designed by the EBRD in cooperation with the Tajik Government and organised in such a way as to facilitate a very rapid implementation. Tajik Government authorities, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Tajikistan, as well as the Airport management itself, are playing a leading role in the implementation of the project.
Once the project is completed Tajikistan will be widely accessible to international flights directly from Europe, South East Asia, Japan and Korea. The project forms part of several initiatives of the international financial community to help jump-start economic reform.
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