The latter will accommodate 2.5 million
passengers in a year. The project which will cost a whopping Euro 235
million (Sh. 518 billion is partly funded by the government in
collaboration with BAM International of Netherlands and a consultant
from Arab Consulting Engineers of Egypt.
Project Director Eng, Mohammed Millanga
said, iron fixing is complete by 90 percent, the availability of wall
bricks are by 80 percent, roofing is complete by 60 per cent, and
installation of toilet facilities in various rooms is complete by 25 per
cent.
Other areas of construction which are
completed halfway are water sewerage systems (80 per cent), electricity
wiring and ducts is completed (30 percent), construction of car parking
arcade ( 75 percent), and apron, taxiway, access road and parking for
plane lots ( 30 percent). He made the clarification during the visit of
some engineers from Coast Region Office led by Eng, Michael Mrema who
visited the site in Dar es Salaam last week to learn various issues and
how the construction was progressing.
“The second phase of the construction
project whose foundation building is not yet laid down will start
immediately on the completion of the first one and is expected to end a
year later up to June 2017 respectively,” said Eng, Millanga. Currently
the airport has only one terminal building for the passengers whose
three lounges, departure, arrival and VIP serves 200 passengers at a
time and 500,000 per annum.
The project is financed by the
government through loan from HSBC and CRDB banks. On behalf of his
colleague, Eng, Michael Mrema from Coast Region office said they have
learned something they didn’t know before, hoping that the knowledge
gained will help them implement their duties efficiently.
Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA),
Director General Engineer, Suleiman Suleiman says the new terminal III
is about 75,000 square meters which is five times bigger than the
current terminal II. “There will be 40 counters as compared to 17 we
currently have.
There will be 18 air bridges as compared
to three we currently have,” he said adding that the new terminal III
building will also be able to dock the biggest passenger aircraft, the
A380 Airbus.
Describing the suitability of the
project on its completion, Eng,Suleiman said it will have the status
just like other international airports in the world such as Heathrow in
UK and Dubai. He said planes which are being served in those airports
will be coming here as there will be all the facilities needed and other
infrastructure available like in those airports.
There will be a special train to be
introduced by the government to ferry passengers while entering and
going out of the airport and take them to various places in the city of
Dar es Salaam.
He said adding that, this will be
constructed later as its plans are underway, he further said. For the
time being, we are producing an airport master plan for 2015. The
intention is to allow 24-hour air transport the vision is that air
transport must be seen as an ordinary means of transport, not a luxury
mode of transport.
“We want to make air transport one of
the simplest, cheapest and fastest mode of transport,” he insisted. TAA
boss told the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Dr
Shabaan Mwinjaka, who visited JNIA early this year that there would be a
special train to be introduced by the government to ferry passengers
while entering and going out of the airport.
It would take them to various places in
the City of Dar es Salaam. TAA has recently announced that it has hired
US based Rapiscan Systems to improve security at Dar Es Salaam Julius
Nyerere International Airport (JNIA), due to a recent case of
trafficking of 578 pounds of Ivory worth USD 413,000 to Switzerland by
three Chinese citizens.
The Authority plans to install a new
system and to deploy the latest technology at the airport facilities to
develop an information sharing network that will monitor in teams the
employees’ tasks, making it difficult for them to make illegal deals
with travelers.
The whole system does not have an
official estimated cost yet since it needs the assessment of Rapiscan
Systems’ technicians to determine all the equipment, software and
training to be implemented, explained TAA Director General recently.
Rapiscan Systems is a leading global supplier of security inspection
systems which currently operates in Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, where in
the latter, it currently supplies cargo and check-in baggage screening
solutions to the largest air cargo forwarder and the JNIA.
In Tanzania, security at JNIA has been a
matter of concern since it is the third most common gateway after the
ports of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar to traffic illegal ivory, In 2013
TAA installed explosive trace detection (ETD) machines, x-ray screening
trays, walk through metal detector (WTMD) and other devices to broad
aviation security detection with the British High Commission in Dar es
Salaam’s support. BAM International already completed phase 1 of the
renovation in Dar es Salaam, which involved the rehabilitation of the
main runway and upgrading of the terminal 2 apron.
The second phase involves all taxiways,
minor runway, air ground lighting and environmental issues. JNIA is the
principal airport serving Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania.
The government embarked on an improvement program of its ageing airports
infrastructure in the mid nineties in order to open up more development
opportunities and spur economic growth for all areas in Tanzania.
Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) was
established on 29th November 1999 vide Government Notice Number 404 of
1999 under the Executive Agency Act Number 30 of 1997. The Authority
assumed the functions of the former Directorate of Aerodromes under the
Ministry of Communications and Transport currently the Ministry of
Transport. The establishment of the Agency is part of the Government
efforts in changing the public service structure which is geared towards
improving service delivery.
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