KIA eyes to handle one million passengers

By The guardian reporter

Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA)

In the wake of winning the ‘Routes Africa Marketing Awards’ for the second consecutive year, management of the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) has pledged to increase the number of passengers using the port in the next two years.

Managing Director of the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO), Mattijs Smith, said KIA—the Gateway to Africa’s Wildlife Heritage- is experiencing an annual increase of 24 percent in passenger traffic and this year alone, the management expects to handle nearly 850,000 passengers.


He said, after winning this year’s Routes Africa Marketing Awards, KADCO is working hard not only to maintain this status, but also to improve services in order to become a world class airport and terminal of choice in the East African region.

However, he said KIA, which started operations in 1972, was designed to handle only 200,000 passengers, and now that it expects to handle almost a million passengers annually, its rehabilitation and upgrading will kick off early next year.

Christopher Mukoma, KADCO’s Director of Operations and Technical Services explained that the Management is also working hard to ensure that the airport meets the increased demand revealing that the Dutch government has already channeled USD36.4 million for KIA’s rehabilitation.

“Among key areas in the project are, upgrading and expansion of the runway and taxiways,” he said “…all these are part and parcel of our preparations for the increasing number of customers who will use the airport,” the official said.
“Currently, KIA handles 12 airlines and many other unscheduled charter planes but before the end of this year, it is expected that KIA will be handling nearly 20 airlines,” he said. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN