Flights of fancy.

A few years ago, Eritrea's main airport looked more like a sand-pit than a modern landing field and international flights were unheard of. All that is changing dramatically, as JENNIE STREET reports.

Once virtually nonexistent, today Eritrea's aviation sector is beginning to boom. "In 1991," reflects Mr Paulos Kahsay, Head of Eritrea's Civil Aviation Department (CAD), "there were sandbags seven metres high around the airport buildings and no windows in the terminal." Now, that has all changed. During August 1996 alone, Asmara International Airport was handling over 1,000 passengers a day despite the fact that Eritrea had become a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) only three years earlier. Today, domestic flights are being planned and already Lufthansa, Ethiopian, Yemenia and Saudi Airlines, plus a few charter companies, all fly in to Asmara.

The growth in this industry is reflected in both passenger and cargo figures. Passenger movements through Asmara airport doubled from 91,515 in 1991 to 180,459 in 1994. In 1992, they peaked at 225,531 when Eritreans from the diaspora made emotional journeys home to the country many of them had left 10 to 20 years previously. Between 1991 and 1996, freight more than doubled from 1,096 tonnes to 2,687 tonnes.

As the main Eritrean gateway, Asmara constitutes the biggest concentration of CAD activities, capital investment and personnel resources. Expansion of the terminal building, including improved departure and arrival lounges, airline offices, a new duty free and souvenir shop, is nearing completion. It is expected that the project, which will double the size of the existing area, will be able to accommodate estimated traffic growth for the next 10 years. On top of this, Asmara's airport services - airport management, immigration, customs and health - have all had to be overhauled in order to meet minimum international standards.

Assisting Eritrea's aviation industry have been the French and German Governments. The French provided a grant of Fr10.5m which enabled a complete, up-to-date airfield lighting system to be installed at Asmara. A new set of communication and navigational aids, funded by the Eritrean and European Governments, was completed last year. Germany also provided a grant and technical assistance for a completely new Instrument Landing System (ILS) which went into operation in July 1994. A second phase of rehabilitation and development of the communications programme is underway and due for completion this year.

On the horizon are a number of other plans, including the extension of Asmara's existing runway by 900 metres; the construction of a new 3,900m parallel taxi-way; the expansion of the existing apron; and, lastly, a number of new air cargo terminals and an aircraft maintenance hangar. The CAD also needs to acquire communication, navigation, surveillance, fire-fighting and rescue service equipment. Estimates for all the projects are between $90m to $100m, the majority of which must come from outside financing.

The establishment of Asmara Flight Information Region (FIR), which covers the country's entire airspace, is already underway in accordance with the procedures and practices of the ICAO. Once the FIR is up and running, Eritrea will have full control of its own air space. "We have an open sky policy - no restrictions on any carrier flying over and no monopoly - provided airlines meet the international requirements," comments Mr Paulos.

Assab airport is the second important gateway to Eritrea, significantly smaller in passenger-carrying capacity than Asmara airport but with adequate facilities. Plans are under way to rehabilitate both Massawa and Assab to full international capacity in order that they might serve as alternatives to Asmara in the case of an emergency. Priority is also being given to developments in the western lowlands for the transport of fruit, vegetables and other agricultural produce.

In 1993, the CAD, an autonomous, commercialised entity within the Ministry of Transport, joined the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and aims to create a cohesive national meteorological service and meet the increasing demands from different non-aviation organisations, such as the Early Warning and Food Information System in Rome.

A myriad of problems confront any country seeking to build, from scratch, an aviation system that will meet international standards. Last year, for example, the CAD was only just forming a search and rescue organisation. "We've had three hijackings in Eritrea since liberation and we have handled them all well," admits Mr Paulos, "but we must not wait for a disaster to happen." In a bid to develop a coordination system able to deal with such an eventuality, a meeting was held in August 1996 involving all the key ministries.

Plans are under way for the establishment of an aviation academy which is expected to train national and international students.

At one point, the CAD was investigating the viability of establishing its own airline but wisely the Eritreans have decided to concentrate on building up their competence and establishing an internal aviation structure. "We will run domestic services with three 17-seaters from the Eritrean Air Force," Mr Paulos states. Eritrea has nine domestic aerodromes at Barentu, Tessenei, Agordat, Mahmimet, Thio, Keren, Afabet, Nacfa and Om Hajer.

The driving force behind Eritrea's aviation face-lift is Mr Kahsay, who was a ground engineer and instructor with Ethiopian Airlines for 15 years before he joined the liberation struggle in 1979. He has guided the CAD through the improvements along progressive principles. At present, the CAD only has 78 employees, which is well below the optimum level for it to comfortably meet national and international aviation obligations. However, despite being a little thin on the ground at the moment, all of the CAD's staff were aviation experts before liberation - some under the Ethiopian occupation and some from the struggle. "It has been difficult to attract technically qualified people back from Europe and America," informs Mr Paulos. "But the major bottle-neck we now face is in the Customs Department," he adds. "It needs big changes because of the problems it is causing for air freight."

With its stunning record to date, the CAD looks set to manage the capacity creation of aviation transport. The quest to make Eritrea a regional hub is, without a doubt, well under way.