Tunisia’s transport ministry has announced a $1 billion expansion of Tunis-Carthage International Airport, the country’s main gateway, aiming to quadruple its passenger handling capacity as the government bets on tourism as an economic recovery lever.
The centrepiece of the plan is a new terminal of approximately 80,000 square metres, which will add check-in counters and security lanes. The ministry did not disclose the source of financing.
- Carthage handled roughly 7.2 million passengers in 2024, a strong post-Covid rebound for a sector the country is counting on to generate foreign exchange.
- Tunisia had initially explored building an entirely new airport before settling on expanding the existing Carthage facility.
- The announcement is part of a wider government push to modernise air transport infrastructure, with tourism positioned as a key pillar of economic recovery.
- Tunisia’s broader economy faces significant headwinds: high debt levels, elevated inflation, and a challenging fiscal position have constrained public investment and deterred some foreign capital.
Bigger picture: Tunisia received around 10 million tourists in 2024, approaching pre-revolution peaks, and the sector contributes roughly 8% of GDP. Quadrupling airport capacity signals serious ambition, but the funding gap is the story. With Tunisia locked out of IMF support after stalled negotiations and domestic borrowing costs elevated, a $1 billion infrastructure project will require either concessional financing from Gulf sovereign funds or European development banks, or a public-private partnership. The ministry’s silence on funding is the question every investor and airline planning North Africa routes will be watching closely.
Source: Africanews
