Construction has started on the new International Airport of Palmerola in Honduras.
The $163 million airport, to be located in Comayagua, is expected to increase connectivity domestically, while providing another transition point for international travellers.
The new structure will include the Hernán Acosta Mejía Aviation School currently located in Tegucigalpa.
The project will also involve the construction of a control tower, commercial areas, and ample parking space in addition to the seven distinct terminals for both domestic and international travel.
Honduras president Juan Orlando Hernández said at the groundbreaking ceremony: "It is not just an airport, because in the future it can convert this region into a special area of development for the valley [of Comayagua], for Honduras, and why not for even the Central American market?"
A consortium of local firm Inversiones EMCO and Flughafen Munchen, the operator of Germany's Munich Airport, will lead the project, which is expected to be complete in 18 months. It will create 7,000 direct new jobs during construction work.
