Luxembourg, 13/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank is granting a loan of 15.2 million euro (FF 100 million) to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Island of Réunion for the extension of passenger terminal facilities at Saint Denis-Gillot airport. The work will enable the terminal to cope with 1,000 passengers arriving or departing at peak traffic periods. It comes within the framework of a series of major improvements to Saint-Denis airport which began in 1990, to cater for a constant increase in air traffic. The EIB already contributed FF 80 million to the project in 1993, for the construction of a runway accommodating wide-bodied aircraft.
"The EIB is financing this project under its policy of fostering regional development in the European Union", it states in a press release, recalling that Réunion is classified as a priority area for Community structural support (Objective 1 of regional policy).