JNIA construction will not be delayed, says airports agency
This is how Terminal Three of Julius Nyerere International Airport will look like upon completion. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Terminal 3 will see capacity increased to 6 million passengers annually on completion
- TAA director general Suleiman Suleiman told a parliamentaryc ommittee that the work was going at a commendable pace and would be completed on time
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) has said it is on track to finalise construction of terminal three at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) within the specified timeframe as the authority races against time to meet the growing demand for quality air transport services in the country.
TAA director general, Suleiman Suleiman told a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure, yesterday that the work is going at a commendable pace and that he was optimistic that it will be completed on time.
“The annual passengers’ increase per airport is 12 per cent annually. This is already a challenge,” said Mr Suleiman.
Ongoing construction works of Terminal 3 at Tanzania’s main international gateway will see capacity increased to 6 million passengers annually on completion in 2020
Currently, terminal two has the capacity to handling 1.2 million passengers, but with an increased demand, it handled 2.5 million passengers last year.
This means it performed beyond its capacity by 108 per cent.
With the new passengers’ building, the airport’s capacity to handle travellers will be enhanced by 400 per cent annually.
Construction of terminal three is done in two phases; phase one - valued Sh293 billion - will be completed next year to create space for additional 3.5 million passengers while phase two - valued Sh225 billion - will be completed in 2017. It will create a total of 2.5 million passengers annually.
Tanzania got a loan from the HSBC Bank under the guarantee of the government of the Netherlands through Export Credit Agency while 15 per cent of the funds were sourced internally from CRDB Bank.
The Committee gave the nod to the stage reached in implementing the project and promised to work closely with TAA to address challenges facing the project – including making sure that the authority gets the Sh18 billion in the remaining compensating package for former Kipawa residents who had to leave the place to pave the way for the project.
“When TAA delays to pay the compensation the amount increases. We have been told that it was Sh11 billion but the figure has increased to Sh18 billion,” said Prof Juma Kapuya, the chairman of the Committee.
