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| Kilimanjaro Airport |
The
Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) is to undergo a major improvement
programme which aims to elevate the facility to an international tourist
gateway.
The
multimillion-dollar transformation plan will see all runways, apron, taxiways
and passenger lounge refurbished to offer holidaymakers a hassle-free trip to
northern Tanzania’s tourist circuit.
Already,
the Kilimanjaro Airport Development Company (Kadco) that manages operations of
the KIA has secured a US$30 loan million from Netherlands-based firm, Orion
Grand Facility, for the project.
Kadco
Finance and Corporate Services director Bakari Murusuri said in an interview
that 50 per cent of the package is a soft loan and the other part is a grant.
He informed that KIA preposition design work commenced last month.
“The
project will take three years and the idea behind is to give KIA a different
outlook” he noted, adding that since last year Kadco has been running the
promotion blitz to different markets overseas, seeking to attract major global
airlines to use the airport.
Kadco
chief executive officer Marco van de Kreeke said that during the renovation,
the runway, taxiways and aprons of the airport 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 flow
of tourists.”
Annually,
over 650,000 passengers pass through KIA which is only second to Dar es
Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport in size and number of passengers,
he said.
However,
with increased traffic, demand for customer satisfaction, security concerns and
growing competition, Kadco has found it imperative to benchmark itself with
pace setting organisations, meeting and overcoming emerging challenges along
the way, said Van de Kreeke.
“This
is a big step for Kadco and Kilimanjaro airport. The rehabilitation of KIA has
been an important goal since the airport’s privatisation,” he added. KIA was
the first airport to be privatised in the country in early 2000s.
Source:
The Guardian,www.ippmedia.com, reported by Charles
Ngereza
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