The main international airport in Cuba, Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, is getting an upgrade, according to USA Today.
The main international terminal will be upgraded to improve operations at the facility, which suffers from overcrowding, at a cost of $10.2 million, according to Cuba's state run media.
The Terminal three upgrade will include eight footbridges for boarding and the expansion of a parking area outside the terminal, according to the Havana Reporter, a semi-weekly English-language newspaper that arrives on newsstands on Tuesdays.
The project will also include new walkways, additional check-in counters, lighting and air conditioning improvements and systems to conserve water and electricity. The eastern part of the terminal will be upgraded to accommodate larger airplanes.
Almost 190,000 square feet of new roofing has already been installed on the terminal.
Terminal three is the most modern part of the airport. It was built with Canadian financial assistance and cost $93 million. Fidel Castro participated in an inauguration ceremony with Jean Chretien, then the Prime Minister of Canada, in 1998.
The airport has lost ground as traffic has increased, causing the airport to have trouble keeping up with the basics, such as the waits at check-in, immigration, security and baggage claim with somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 passengers moving through the airport.
"The current design only allows for the terminal to accommodate 1,400 passengers, a number lower than the real volume that exists in these moments, which hurts the quality of service," according to the website CubaDebate.
Each year, approximately 2.5 million travelers pass through the airport. Jose Marti International Airport handles most international traffic, with the exception of charter flights to and from the U.S., which go through terminal two.
Since the 1990s, the number of travelers to Cuba has increased after the country turned to tourism to improve a poor economy after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The repairs began in early July and are expected to last six months.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
