Brussels, 03/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) decided on 29 November to grant a loan of €40 million to the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) to bring air traffic control facilities in Africa into line with international standards. Security and reliability will be improved and air transport made more efficient. The funding will allow improvements to be brought to navigation and air control facilities, meteorological instruments and traffic safety infrastructure in the air space managed by the ASECNA in West Africa, over the Atlantic and in Madagascar. The ASECNA is a multinational air traffic control agency covering air space one and a half times the size of Europe from centres in Dakar, Brazzaville, Niamey, N'Djamena and Antananarivo. It manages ten regional air traffic control centres, 57 control towers, 25 international airports and 76 national airports. The number of flights in the air space covered by the ASECNA has increased by more than 7% in the last ten years, growing faster than air traffic worldwide. (OL/transl.fl)