Namibia Airports Company (NAC) says the current upgrades worth N$250 million at Hosea Kutako International Airport are on track with the project expected to be completed by October this year.
NAC CEO Bisey Uirab on Tuesday briefed President Hage Geingob on the progress made on the project aimed at alleviating congestion and modernising infrastructure at the airport. In recent weeks Geingob has been visiting some state institutions to get first-hand knowledge of the situation on the ground.
Uirab said the government would settle N$155 million of the N$250 million needed for the work upgrades, while the rest will be covered by NAC.
To date, N$21 million has been utilised for this project through site establishment, site hoarding, relocation of existing services, demolitions, excavations, foundations, concrete work and brickwork to various sections of the project.
Uirab expressed satisfaction with the cooperation from all the stakeholders, saying there are no significant disruptions to normal airport operations.
The project, which started last year October, will see a doubling of the handling capacity of the airport for increased passenger movements up until 2030.
The upgrades will also see the number of security screening points increased from three to five, passport control (3 to 7), check-in counters (14 to 18), self-check-in counters (5), passport control (8 to 17), baggage reclaim (2 to 3), while the departure hall will be expanded and a new arrival hall constructed.
Besides the check-in and departure halls and security screening points upgrades, the project will also include the revamping and modernisation of the arrivals hall and luggage handling areas.
The NAC last year had shortlisted five Namibian companies to renovate Hosea Kutako International Airport for N$250 million, and local construction company Nexus won the tender.
Among those who tendered were Namibia Construction, Decora, Afrideca, and OJ Construction.
“We have the project very much on track. This project is done by Namibians, except where we order the things from outside such as conveyor belts for baggage handling and scanners. All these procurements have started. Everything is on track,” Uirab briefed Geingob.
The project has created employment for 142 Namibians overall of whom 106 are with the main contractor Nexus Contractors.
The work upgrades came about as a result of a Cabinet decision to relieve passenger congestion at the airport.
The key purpose of the project is to address the congestion challenges, security issues and ICAO Compliance requirements at the airport.
Uirab said the prevailing congestion for passengers and aircraft at the airport has been caused by the sudden increase of new airlines over the past few years.
“This has resulted in the terminal building and apron area being congested and a low level of service which hinders safe operations. It is these facts that gave birth to this congestion alleviation project,” he explained.
By the end of the project, Uirab said, the airport would be able to comply with all standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
These improvements, he mentioned, will include the extension of the passenger terminal two, which will improve the level of service to passengers under the International Air Transport Association (IATA) “optimum” level of service.
The other is the expansion of the airside (apron) which will be able to accommodate current and future demand including aircraft parking stands, in compliance with ICAO standards. Equally, he said, these works will also allow for separation between the international and domestic passengers once both terminals one and two are completed. – anakale@nepc.com.na