(Business in Cameroon) - Previously considered to be a secondary airport used for domestic flights, Maroua Salak Airport in the regional capital of Extreme-North, Cameroon, has just been turned into an international airport following a directive issued by the Minister of Transportation, Robert Nkili. Aroua Salak has now become the country’s 4^th international airport after Yaoundé-Nsimalen, Douala and Garoua.

The government document however specifies that matters following the “the opening up to intercontinental air traffic will be addressed by a specific document after the operational norms of the Maroua-Salak Airport have been resolved.” This task is the responsibility of the Cameroonian Aeronautics Authority (CCAA) which, for example, will have to extend the landing strip by at least 700 metres to meet the required 2,800 metres to enable the Maroua airport facility to receive larger aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A340. 

But before taking on these extensive adjustments, explains Joel Wadem, the CCAA’s Head of Communications, in local media, “the landing strip was completely redone in 2007. Lighting was also installed to enable planes to land day or night. For safety reasons, a VOR, an instrument that allows one to locate the position of the aircraft or from the ground is currently being put in place in Maroua.”  

According to Mr Waden, the decision to upgrade the Maroua Airport to an international level comes from the desire expressed by several international airlines to open routes to this Cameroonian city. Turkish Airlines is one such example, recently expressing its plans to start flights to Maroua, the regional capital which is also one of the country’s most important touristic destinations, like the National Waza Park.