JIA terminal under construction.

The Civil Aviation Authority says the long-delayed Roco Terminal at Juba International Airport is expected to open in July this year after renovation works are completed.

Dr. Ayiei Garang, the Director General of Civil Aviation Authority, made the announcement during the launch of the new Air Traffic Management System and Juba Control Tower in Juba on Monday.

“In April, we start working on Roco Terminal. The terminal was parked for the last 17 years. In the next two months from now in July, Your Excellency, this terminal will be open in July. Your Excellency, today’s achievement represents more than infrastructure. It represents progress. It represents transformation. It represents the confidence for the future of South Sudan Civil Aviation,” he said addressing President Salva Kiir during the launch of the new Air Traffic Management System and Juba Control Tower.

The Roco Terminal project was launched in 2009 before South Sudan gained independence in 2011 as part of efforts to modernize Juba International Airport and prepare for increasing regional and international air traffic.

However, parts of the terminal remained unfinished for years, despite repeated government promises to complete and open the facility.

In July 2014, President Salva Kiir launched the resumption of construction works together with Chinese contractors after the project had stalled for years.

By 2016, the government said about 45 million dollars had already been spent on the project, with officials claiming the work was around 90 percent complete, although additional funding was still needed.

In October 2018, a smaller terminal at Juba International Airport was officially opened to ease congestion and improve passenger handling while work on the larger Roco Terminal remained incomplete.

The construction later faced further delays due to funding challenges and interruptions linked to conflict and instability in the country.

However, Dr. Ayiei Garang, Director of Civil Aviation, said rehabilitation works on the terminal resumed in April after the project remained stalled for nearly 17 years.

He spoke during the launch of the Air Traffic Control System on Monday at Juba International Airport.

Dr. Garang also said the Authority recently signed a Civil Aviation master plan in Morocco outlining the development of airports and airstrips across South Sudan.

According to him, the master plan aims to ensure proper airport planning and prevent unregulated infrastructure development within airport premises.

He described the progress in the aviation sector as a sign of transformation and growing confidence in the future of South Sudan Civil Aviation.