CAAZ lines up multi-million airport upgrades, says new airlines coming

25 Jun, 2018 - 15:06 0 Views
CAAZ lines up multi-million airport upgrades, says new airlines coming

eBusiness Weekly

HARARE – The Civil Aviation Authority of  Zimbabwe (CAAZ) has lined up multi-million dollar upgrade of airports  across the country to almost double the existing annual passenger  handling capacity, an official said on Friday.

The eight main airports in the country have a handling capacity of  close to six million passengers annually, with Robert Gabriel Mugabe  International being the biggest at 2.5 million passengers per year,

CAAZ acting general manager, Tawanda Gusha told journalists plans to  upgrade the airports were at different stages of negotiation with  various partners.

The upgrades will cost over $300 million.

“For RGM International we are in the final planning stages. A loan was  secured from the China Exim-Bank,” he said.

“We want to expand the airports handling capacity from 2.5 million  passengers per annum to 6 million.”

Gusha said a new, stand alone VVIP complex as well as a cargo handling  terminal would be constructed at the RGM airport at a cost of around $150 million.

He said Bulawayo and Victoria Falls airports which were recently  upgraded, with new terminal buildings commissioned, still required more  infrastructure to make them world class, while around $120 million was  required for the rehabilitation of Buffalo Range Airport in Chiredzi.

CAAZ was also on the hunt for investors to put up a terminal at Charles  Prince Airport in Harare, which was currently only servicing private  charter planes at the moment, he said.

Other airports in need of expansion and rehabilitation included Hwange  and Kariba which have a combined passenger handling capacity of 200 000  per year.

The expansion would augur well with the anticipated increase in tourist  visits at a time CAAZ said two more airlines, Air Tanzania and  Pro-Flight of Zambia had firm plans to introduce flights to Harare.

The new flights would directly link Harare with Dar es Salaam and  Lusaka respectively.

Gusha said the government was in talks with Algeria, Tunisia, France,  Italy and Chile for Bilateral Air Service Agreements that would allow  Zimbabwe to establish flight links with those countries.

“This is in line with the re-engagement that the government is  pursuing,” he said. –New Ziana

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