Zanzibar airport project in error, says expert

Additional funding is required to provide a safe landing of aircraft at the Zanzibar Terminal II (T2) operations, an expert has said.

The expert -- who requested not to be mentioned because he is not a spokesperson of the parties involved -- told The Citizen in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday that the Airport’s T2 has been constructed at the wrong level and requires additional investment to rectify the error.

“In short, the Terminal 2 structure has been constructed on an area that was meant to be an aircraft parking bay,” the source said.Its construction does not match well with the general alignment of the structures to allow for safe landing, he observed.

The instrument landing system (ILS) -- a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway -- is not in the right alignment.

In the same vein, the terminal’s apron design has not been coordinated to match with the World Bank’s financed apron project, leading to a level gap between the two projects. 

WB provided a loan of over $50 million for extension and improvement of the southern taxiway and extension of the existing aircraft parking area (apron) by 1,000 sq metres. 

There is lack of understanding of the work required by T2 contractor -- Beijing Construction Engineering Group -- to successfully make the facilities operational.

The source stated that the terminal’s internal layout has not been agreed with airport stakeholders and service providers, and the turnkey contract scope of work was not clearly defined.

Turnkey contract is a contract under which a firm agrees to fully design, construct and equip to manufacturing business/service facility and turn the project over to the purchaser when it is ready for operation for remuneration.

The study, which highlighted the T2 problems was conducted in November last year, and established that the subcontractor did not have sufficient skills of designing and constructing Terminal II as agreed previously.

The government of China through Exim Bank China disbursed $70.4 million to construct the T2 turnkey project, which was awarded to the BCEG Company.

The whole project includes a 17,000-square-metre terminal building, a small power station, and a bigger apron.The construction of the new passenger terminal began in February 2011 and will be completed by January 31, 2014.

Source: The Citizen, www.thecitizen.co.tz, reported by Victor Karega in Dar es Salaam

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