Joaquim Kapango Airport in the central Angolan city of Cuito, Bié province, will reopen this week, now that China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corp. has finished two years of work on improving the facility, Angop reports.

The Angolan state-run news agency says Angolan Transport Minister Ricardo de Abreu announced the reopening on Wednesday.

Mr de Abreu told a press conference that the improvement work had lengthened the runway to 2,500 metres so that Boeing 737 jet airliners could use it.

The report says the contractor built a passenger terminal, a cargo terminal, a 4,500 square-metre traffic control tower, an operations building, a power station, a car park and access roads.

The Chinese state-owned company is set to receive US$45 million for the improvement work, Angop says.