The Council of Ministers has approved more than 200 million dollars for the construction of Air Management System, AMS, at Juba International Airport.

The budget was presented to the cabinet by the Minister of Transport, John Luk Jok.

Globally, the AMS allows authorities to regulate and manage air traffic, electronic information, and security at the airport.

Once constructed, it will enable the government retake the control of South Sudan’s airspace which is currently being managed by Sudan, as per the endorsement of the Council of Ministers last year.

“So it is decided that the company called China Harva, which is now the engineering company to take over the construction of our Air Management System so that we are capable of managing our own,” Michael Makuei, the Minister of Information told the media on Friday.

Mr Makuei says the construction will include upgrade to the current airport tower.

“The cost is estimated to be about 211, 580,583 dollars. This is in addition to something that was left out and that is the tower of the airport. So the tower if added then it may go beyond that,” he said.

Makuei said part of the cost of the construction will be met through revenues generated by the aviation industry.

The cabinet also directed the Ministry of Transport to continue negotiations towards the final agreement for the implementation of the project.

A modernized Airport Management System includes; an Air Traffic Control Administrator, Over Flight Billing, Real Time Apron Management, Airport Flight Information Display, Gate Allocation, Automated Warehouse, Security and Meteorological Systems.

In 2012, Reuters quoted the then Deputy Minister of Transport, Mayom Kuoc Malek saying that the government was looking for an “international company” to enter into a potential private/public joint venture for the running of a new South Sudanese national carrier.

The government also announced the upgrade of JIA to include; expansion of the passenger and cargo terminal buildings, resurfacing of the runway and installation of landing lights to facilitate night operations.

Additionally, there were to be upgrades to five state airstrips in Yambio, Torit, Kwajok, Bor and Awiel.

Former Minister of Information, Barnaba Marial Benjamin had said the renovation and improvement works were being done after negotiations of a loan from China, in which South Sudan would repay it over 20 years at 2% interest.

Work on the runaway at JIA is now almost complete, but there has been no progress on the construction of the terminals.