THE arrival and departure halls of the Port Harcourt International airport is to accommodate over one thousand passengers at the end of the current re-modeling work. The capacity of halls which at present barely take four hundred passengers on arrival of an international flight will be re-modeled to take about 1,500 passengers. Work is already in progress to ensure that the re-modeling will be completed in the next four months to provide a befitting airport for the people of the region.  

    According to the regional general manager at the airport, Mr Henry Anyanwu, the contractor has fully moved to site and work has commenced in earnest to ensure that the project is completed as scheduled. Anyanwu who explained that the sizes of both the arrival and departure halls will be expanded, said the exercise would be done in phases so not to affect businesses in the airport. His words: “At the end of the exercise, the terminal will look like a new terminal” According to the regional general manager, when completed, the terminal building will attract more screening points from its current one point of passenger’s screening and will also accommodate more shops, lounges, offices, banking halls and increase commercial activities at the airport.    

  Anyanwu also explained that additional passenger’s check in counters would be increased to twenty from the current seven operational now. The greatest challenge posed by the remodeling according to the manager is the movement of offices during construction. He however commended the aviation minister for her quest to give airports in the country face lifts through the transformation agenda of President Jonathan even as he noted that the Port Harcourt International airport had been yearning for rehabilitation and expansion as a result of old age and increase in passenger traffic.