Senegal will inaugurate a new international airport before the end of the year to ease congestion in the capital, Dakar, where the West African nation’s biggest airport is based. The Blaise Diagne International Airport will open on Dec. 7 and employ at least 500 people,  Dakar-based Rewmi newspaper reported on Thursday, citing Cheikh Diouf, head of logistics and transport. The facility, whose completion has been delayed several times, is based in Diass, near the new city of Diamniadio, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Dakar. The industrial zone in Diamniadio, built to alleviate pressure on Dakar, will also start operating in December, Le Soleil newspaper reported, citing government officials. A packaging company from Tunisia is already installed on the site and two other Chinese companies will soon follow, according to the paper. The government said in July it arranged funding for the construction of a $1 billion urban rail linking the new airport to the capital.