The
long-awaited expansion of Hosea Kutako International Airport at a cost of N$250
million will start next week, says the Namibia Airports Company.
The
chairperson of the board of directors of the Namibia Airports Company (NAC),
Leaked Hangala, said that the upgrade will double the passenger handling
capacity of the airport.
The NAC
will contribute N$95 million of the project’s budget, while the government is
expected to fork out the remaining N$155 million.
The
upgrade will include an increase in check-in counters to a total of 18
counters, with an additional five self-service check-in kiosks and an increase
in departure security screening points from three to five, Hangala said.
He also
noted that the project will also see an increase in immigration departure
counters to seven counters, from the current four.
Hangala
added that a new departure hall at the airport would see an overall increase of
immigration counters to 17, compared to the current eight.
Speaking
at a ground-breaking event at the airport today, international relations
minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said: “It is important for the government
to create an enabling environment to support air transport to benefit from the
projected growth in the matter estimated by the Airports Council International,
which estimates that emerging and developing economies will account for over
60% of all passenger movements traffic by 2040.”
NAC chief
executive Bisey /Uirab added that international routes added to the airport’s
network in 2016 increased passenger demand and a need to alleviate congestion
at the airport prompted the upgrade.
The
current airport terminal building was constructed in 1985 to handle 250 000
passengers per year. It has been reported that the airport now deals with
nearly one million travellers per year.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of September 2020.https://allafrica.com/stories/201909170546.html
