BY GEOFFREY NANGAI
KILIMANJARO International Airport (KIA) is set to get a 57.5bn/- facelift with the design phase of the project expected to start in January in a bid to increase the airport’s competitiveness regionally.
KIA is among the busiest airports in Tanzania and is the major gateway to Northern safari circuit in the Kilimanjaro region of the country’s major tourist destinations that include Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti National Park.
The Tanzanian Government and the Kingdom of Netherlands 0n November 23rd 2011 signed a grant agreement for the rehabilitation of KIA that will overseen by the the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) that is fully owned by the Tanzanian Government.
A statement released by the KADCO CEO Marco van de Kreeke yesterday said during the renovation project, airside of the airport (runway), taxiways and aprons will be overhauled and resurfaced.
“A new taxiway will be built to increase the capacity of the airport and the terminal building will be upgraded and expanded to accommodate the growing flows of tourists into Northern Tanzania.
“This is a big step for KADCO and Kilimanjaro Airport. The rehabilitation of KIA has been an important goal since the airport’s privatization,” Kreeke said.
He said that traffic numbers at KIA have grown from 200.000 in 2002 to an expected 650.000 passengers in 2011 adding that KADCO management is negotiating with a number of international flag carriers to open new routes to KIA.
“The airport management is very confident this development strategy will continue to bear fruit and further stimulate growth. The airport needs to keep up with growth and international standards. With this grant from the Dutch Government, KIA will get the necessary expansion and facelift to accommodate international traffic in the next decade.” he said.
He said under the design phase, the Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) under KADCO’s supervision will prepare the designs for the renovation and expansion of the airport.
“The design phase, to start in January 2012, is estimated to cost around 920m/- (EUR 400.000) andwill be 100% financed by ORIO.The design phase is expected to take 6 -8 months.
He noted that once the Development Phase is completed and the design is approved, the Dutch Government will provide a second grant to cover 50% of the cost of the actual rehabilitation and the other 50% is to be financed by KADCO through the airport’s revenue adding that tendering and actual works are foreseen to take place in 2013/2014.
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