DAR ES SALAAM, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Monday inaugurated Chinese-built state-of-the-art military airport at Ngerengere in Morogoro region.
President Magufuli thanked China for helping Tanzania reconstruct the military airport, said a statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communication at State House in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
Magufuli said: "China has also assisted Tanzania in the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), the Friendship Textile Mill and a modern football stadium."
Venance Mabeyo, the east African nation's Chief of Defence Forces, said the 1970 airport underwent major rehabilitation after it was badly damaged.
Mabeyo said reconstruction of the military airport began on July 15, 2013, adding that the work cost 68.5 million U.S. dollars.
"The reconstruction involved expanding the runway to enable huge military and commercial aircraft to land and take off," said Mabeyo.
He added that the military airport was now one of the best airports across the world, adding that huge aircraft such as Boeing 777 could land and take off from the airport smoothly.
The Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Lu Youqing, said the construction of the airport further cemented the relationship between China and Tanzania.
The colorful inauguration ceremony was attended by the First Lady Janet Magufuli, the Minister for Defence and National Service, Hussein Mwinyi and other top government and military officials.
