The airport is located on an approx. 1 000 m high plateau of the Atlas mountain range. It has an important role in both of the domestic and international traffic of the city. Because of its condition, it needed reconstruction in full. The Preliminary Study proposed a new location for the runway, as well as for the taxiways in accordance with the latest theories of aviation.

The complex project covered the design of the entirely new airport infrastructure, passenger terminal, hangars, and a control tower and – among many others – a power plant. For improved road access facilities, the designs also provided for the landside road network.

In the course of the on-site supervising activities a number of unforeseen engineering, geological and tectonic problems were encountered (such as undermining beneath the runway), which had to be solved, and immediate measures were taken to ensure the continuity of the construction.