Luis Nunes was speaking to journalists upon the arrival of the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luis Montenegro, who passed through Benguela this Thursday, completing the third day of his official visit to Angola.
Opened in August 2012, with capacity for 2.2 million passengers per year and capable of handling up to three large aircraft simultaneously, the airport was designed to receive international flights, but has been underutilized.
However, according to Luís Nunes, certification should be completed by the end of this year.
"We expect Paulo Teixeira Jorge airport [in Catumbela, between Lobito and Benguela] to be internationalized by the end of the year and, I think, things will improve completely", said the governor, quoted by the Angop news agency.
The next step, he added, will be to establish a direct connection between Benguela and Lisbon, "independently of private passenger flights".
The airport is part of a group of five airfields that the government intends to certify in the short to medium term, starting with Catumbela.
During his visit to Benguela, Luis Montenegro had the opportunity to visit the Lobito Corridor, considered the country's most emblematic development project, and to visit the future facilities of the Portuguese Consulate General in this city and the Biópio photovoltaic plant.
Luís Montenegro returned to Luanda in the late afternoon, where he was accorded military honours at the farewell ceremony at the Presidential Palace.
