SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), August 3 (SeeNews) – China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) is considering investment in Bosnia's Tuzla International Airport, particularly in the airport's cargo transport facilities, the government of the Tuzla Canton said on Friday.
CSCEC is interested in the construction of a modern cargo centre, halal slaughterhouses and animal farms near the airport, a project estimated to cost $500 million (431.9 million euro), the cantonal government said following a meeting with company representatives.
Tuzla Airport currently handles exports of halal meat to Turkey and the Middle East.
The airport serviced 372,000 passengers in the first half of 2018.
Works are underway on the construction of a new passenger terminal at the airport, that is expected to be completed by the end of September.
Tuzla Airport currently handles exports of halal meat to Turkey and the Middle East.
CSCEC is also looking at options to link Tuzla Airport to China.
"Our goal is to connect this city with other destinations in the world. We have seen today that the number of passengers is expanding and we are interested in linking this place with other airlines", the company's marketing manager, Zuo Bin, is quoted saying.
CSCEC and the Tuzla government are set to hold more intense talks in the near future, which will include the government of Bosnia's Federation.
Over the last seven years, from the start of 2011 to the end of 2017, Tuzla airport welcomed 1.33 million passengers in total. In 2017, passenger traffic at Tuzla airport soared 72% on the year to 535,596.
Tuzla is based in the Federation, one of the two autonomous entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other is the Serb Republic.
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