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Monday 5 May 2014

Foundation stone laid for ambitious airport project in Tanzania

Tanzania President Kikwete laid the foundation stone of one of Tanzania’s most ambitious aviation infrastructure projects, the construction of a brand new terminal at the Julius Nyerere International Airport.

Like most major airports in the East African region, has JNIA in Dar es Salaam long reached its projected capacity and is now handling twice as many passengers as was initially foreseen.

The new Terminal 3 will inject fresh capacity for future growth of more flights and more passengers including enough check-in desks for airlines; a state-of-the-art, baggage-handling system; the latest security measures; lounges; restaurants; and shops. The new terminal, several times the size of the existing facility, has received support from the Dutch government via grants and loan guarantees, and it is no wonder, therefore, that the main contractor comes from The Netherlands. The estimated cost was given as over 500 billion Tanzania shillings, making it one of the largest investments in aviation infrastructure the country has ever undertaken.

Work is also continuing at Tanzania’s second largest airport, Kilimanjaro International, equally supported by the Dutch government.

Tanzania started three years ago, in line with resolutions by the East African Community, to work on renovating and expanding aviation facilities across the country, and while much work remains to be done, major projects have been completed like the much-improved Bukoba airport and the newly-expanded Songwe Airport near Mbeya which now receives regular flights by not just turboprops but also jets of the size of an Airbus A319.

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