MNA – Imam Khomeini International Airport’s (IKIA) free trade zone will soon be ready for economic activities through the establishment of a new customs building and stock room, a senior official at Imam Khomeini Airport City Company (IKAC) said on Saturday.

According to Azar Movahedi, the deputy head of IKAC’s infrastructure affairs, the move to expand the airport’s throughput capacities comes in line with the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s policy to evolve IKIA into a major cargo and passenger hub in the Middle East.

She said, connecting IKIA to the international transportation networks, including the East-West and North-South corridors, as well as linking it to the national railway and Tehran’s subway system are among the main steps to achieve such a goal.

To do so, a project was launched in 2015 to create an airport city (IKAC) near IKIA, with special focus on hosting businesses, production and industrial activities.

IKAC, which includes a 1,500-hectare free trade zone and a 2,500-hectare special economic zone in a 13,700-hectare area, aims to help national and international companies to cluster around the airport and engage in business activities, the deputy said.

Among the other objectives pursued by IKAC are: Creating sustainable sources of income to improve aeronautical, cargo and passenger operations, boosting foreign exchange revenues, creating sustainable economic growth, increasing airline companies’ revenues, and enriching the connection time of transiting passengers.

The project is expected to create 500,000 new employment opportunities and generate non-aeronautical revenues amounting to 60% of the airport’s total revenues.