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Tajikistan's airport to remain operational with EBRD assistance
Emergency repairs to the runway and drainage systems at Tajikistan’s Khoujand Airport will be facilitated by a US$ 3 million (EUR 2.6 million) loan agreement signed in London yesterday by the Republic of Tajikistan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The loan will be complemented by a grant of US$ 2.5 million (EUR 2.1 million) from the Japan Fund for Post Conflict Support and a grant of US$ 350,000 (EUR 378,000) from the Japan-Europe Co-operation Fund.
"Improvements to the runway will significantly increase safety, bringing Khoujand Airport into compliance with international standards," said Ken Tanimura, Senior Banker at the EBRD. He added: "Investment in the runway will allow the airport to remain fully operational, providing a safe and reliable transport link between the north and south of the country, which is divided by a range of mountains, as well as with the rest of the world."
As a result of the project, there will be a great improvement in transport links for both people and goods in Tajikistan. No direct rail link exists between north and south, and roads are impassable in winter, leaving air transport the only viable means of travel. The project will also foster export-oriented industries in Khoujand, improving Tajikistan’s investment climate.
"If not immediately improved, the deteriorating conditions of Khoujand Airport will severely restrict use of the airport and could ultimately sever the vital link between north and south," said Mirzo Mastangulov, Director General of Tajikistan State Air Company (TSA), which operates the airport.
The project will be accompanied by a study of air transport restructuring aimed at improving TSA’s operations. In particular, the study will examine how to separate TSA’s operational and regulatory functions. Within the operational sphere, the division of the airline, airport and air traffic control activities into separate entities, working in close cooperation, will ensure competitiveness, introduce economic and financial transparency, allow greater efficiency and improve safety.
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