Senegal has offered its Yoff airport to park planes of delegates attending the OIC summit in Gambia.

This is because the capacity for planes at the Banjul International Airport is too small to cater for all the heads of states and their entourages attending the summit.   

While the Leopold Sedar Senghore Airport in Yoff, Dakar has the parking capacity for more planes. 

The Gambia will host the second biggest world gathering after the UN General Meeting, Organisation of International Conference, in which 57 heads of states and their delegates are expected to attend.

Speaking at a news conference at the Information ministry, OIC Executive Officer, Yankuba Dibba dismissed rumours that the country is unable to house the incoming delegates as “only fallacious”.

“We already have more base places. Even if we were to receive 5000 guests in this country we can comfortably house them even without the five-star hotel. Currently we even have a problem. We can’t utilize the space,” he said. 

“The only issue we have is the packing of the aircrafts. Our airport cannot handle more than 15 aircrafts at any given time plus their normal scheduled flights.

“Therefore, under our cooperation with Senegal, they have been able to graciously permit us to use Yoff airport as a packing for those heads of states who might want to stay longer otherwise The Gambia has enough space to handle all the aircrafts coming,” he said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba