IKIA to become air transportation hub in Mideast
Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) will turn into a new air transportation hub in the Middle East, the chief executive of Chinese Hakan Company said.
Emphasizing that China’s cooperation with Iran is “unshakable and unwavering,” Hui Ka Yan stated that the development project of IKIA, in cooperation with the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, will become a role model for the development of the Silk Road, reported Tasnim news agency.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the construction operation of the second phase of IKIA, he pointed to the amicable ties between Iran and China, and added that Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the visit of the Iranian president to China, emphasized that relations between the two countries are strategic, and he will make his utmost effort to expand the friendly relations in all areas.
The development of the airport is a turning point in cooperation between Iran and China, within the framework of a 25-Year Strategic Partnership Agreement, he said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash invited all airlines to join the second phase of the IKIA development project, which needs an investment of over €2.5 billion.
He emphasized that with the completion of the second phase of the project, its capacity will reach 50 million passengers per year.
The minister pointed to the development of the international airport as the biggest development project since the Islamic Revolution of Iran (1979), and said the first phase of the development project of IKIA will be completed by March 20, 2025.
“This project is also included in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), and we will see that the corridor will contribute to the increase of the national income of Iran as much as oil sales,” Bazrpash concluded.