2018-03-22Staff Report 2 Nuusita Ashipala Ondangwa The Namibian Airports Company (NAC) will repair broken tiles at Ondangwa Airport that have been an eyesore for people making use of the airport. NAC spokesperson Nankelo Amupadhi said an investigation would determine the cause of the problems and enable management to undertake the necessary corrective measures. “Since the completion of the terminal building, NAC has experienced several problems with the tiles used. In order to arrest the situation, NAC commissioned an independent audit to determine the cause of the problems,” said Amupadhi. The airport started falling apart two years after NAC had revamped the terminal building and the runway at a cost of N$84 million. Amupadhi said the passenger terminal building was revamped to improve the services offered at the airport. The revamp was done by the Chinese Quindao Construction company after it was awarded the tender in 2013, submitting a winning bid ahead of nine companies. However, shortly after the revamp the front part of the airport terminal was already cordoned off to warn travellers of the damaged tiles. Adjacent to the cordoned area, some tiles had to be removed completely while others were peeling off. “The area cordoned off is simply to warn the travelling public about the tiles that were damaged and needed to be replaced, so that anyone walking there does not get injured,” Amupadhi said at the time. Meanwhile, NAC has apologised to travellers for the inconvenience and appealed for patience while they correct the defects. The Minister of Finance Calle Schlettwein last year also expressed concern about the state of the tiles. In 2015 President Hage Geingob was optimistic the new terminal and runway would establish a new benchmark of functional efficiency and operational safety for airports in the country. “It also exemplifies our intent as a nation to build world-class infrastructure. I have no doubt that this terminal will fulfil the expectations we have from it and make us all very proud,” the president had said when he attended the official inauguration of the new terminal. 2018-03-22Staff Report 2
