20091222
allafrica

Participants at the national conference on "Prospects of development of airports activities" held on Tuesday in Gammarth, north of Tunis, discussed ways to improve the performance of Tunisian airports in order to boost tourism and transport activities.

Representatives from the Tunisian Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (OACA), as well as airline companies took part in the event.

Chairing the conference, Mr. Abderrahim Zouari, Minister of Transport, said that the rate of exploitation of Tunisian airports does not exceed 28%.

He also added that the Tunisian air cargo sector currently accounts for 60% of air transportation in Tunisia.

For his part, Mr. Ridha Ben Mosbah, Minister of Trade and Handicrafts said that airline transportation is among the sectors that contribute most to the momentum of economic activity in the country.

He also proposed to develop a strategy for joint action between the private and public sector for the optimal exploitation of airports and the promotion of export industries in regions.

There are currently 9 airports in Tunisia. The latest airport in operation is the "Enfidha Zine El Abidine Ben Ali International airport" which is set to become the country's largest airport with a capacity of 20 million passengers by 2020.