• Tunisia to invest $1B to expand Tunis-Carthage airport to 18M capacity
• Project includes metro link to ease congestion; feasibility study completed
• Plan reflects air traffic rebound; new Bizerte airport also under consideration

The Tunisian government plans to invest 3 billion dinars (about $1 billion) in expanding Tunis-Carthage International Airport. Local media reported the information, citing Transport Minister Rachid Amri. According to the reports, speaking before the House of Representatives on November 11, the minister said the project will increase the airport’s annual capacity to 18 million passengers, from the 7.2 million estimated in 2024.

The plan also includes the construction of a metro line linking the airport to central Tunis to improve transport connections and ease congestion on routes into the capital. According to Amri, the government intends to structure the project as a turnkey contract to be awarded after a pre-qualification phase. The Tunisian Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (OACA) has completed the feasibility study.

The expansion updates a plan presented in February 2024 that had proposed building a new terminal to increase airport capacity to 13 million passengers. The revised, larger target reflects a post-COVID rebound in air traffic, supported especially by higher passenger volumes on Tunisair and the gradual recovery of international tourism.

Authorities are also considering building a new airport in Bizerte, in the north of the country, to reduce pressure on Tunis-Carthage, which handles most of Tunisia’s air traffic. In 2024, national air traffic reached 12.5 million passengers, more than half of whom traveled through Tunis-Carthage.

Henoc Dossa