Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus of São Tomé and Principe has said work on lengthening the runway at the airport on the island of São Tomé may begin soon, STP-Press reports.

Chinese specialists have almost finished assessing the effects of a longer runway on the economy, the environment and air traffic, after recently coming to the country, a report carried by the São Toméan state-run news agency on Wednesday quotes Mr Bom Jesus as saying last Saturday.

Mr Bom Jesus said work on improving the airport is part of the government’s efforts to modernize São Toméan infrastructure and that it would create jobs, most of them for São Toméans.

The improvements will enable the airport to control air traffic better, and give it a better passenger terminal, with facilities for VIPs, STP-Press says.

In February last year the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, reported that the Chinese and São Toméan governments had agreed that Chinese money would pay for extension of the runway by 600 metres, so it would project out beyond the seashore of São Tomé.