Since July 2019, Cardinal Benrardin Gantin international airport in Cotonou has been getting a makeover. Franzetti Benin has been one of the key contributors…
A welcome works extension!
The Benin government had planned to build a new international airport, Glo-Djigbé, outside Cotonou over the next 3-4 years to replace the existing Cardinal Bernardin Gantin airport, to welcome more than 1 million passengers per year. Franzetti was set to play its part in this transition by giving a fresh lick of paint to the existing building.
Given the current airport’s capabilities, the government ultimately decided to delay the construction of this new airport and fully rehabilitate the existing one, both for departures (where work is currently ongoing) and arrivals (where it will begin shortly), plus the presidential pavilion and the lounge of honour, to meet the international standards airlines demand.
As a result, Franzetti’s involvement, which was initially limited to just a coat of paint, has grown to include:
- the expansion of the departure hall and the reworking of 2,000m² of additional floor space for the police / customs zone, duty-free shopping, and restaurants,
- rehabilitation of the boarding lounge,
- extension of the areas around the airport including masonry and finishing works: forecourt, drop-off area, etc.
An initial delivery
On August 28, 2020, at 9 a.m., zone 1, which includes the two passport control posts and the FastTrack facility, was opened to the public. Franzetti’s teams worked all the previous night to fine-tune the finishing and make this opening possible. Some of them were still present on site in the early hours of the morning, as seen in the photos below.
Watch this space as our work on the airport site isn’t over yet!
This is one of Benin’s President’s flagship projects, and Franzetti is playing its part!
Francis GUIOT, Country Manager
