THE country airports are facing a fresh passengers handling challenge as airlines increase frequencies.
The
passengers’ capacity challenge emerged a fresh on Sunday as Air
Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) super jumbo takes to sky flying to
Kilimanjaro and Mwanza twice a day from Dar es Salaam.
Daily
News spot observation revealed that currently existing passenger
terminal buildings are
outdated and investment has to be made to
increase the capacity and equipment.
Minister
for Works, Transport and Communications Isaac Kamwelwe said the
government has set aside fund for constructing a new terminal building
at Mwanza Airport.
“We
have set aside a fund in this financial year for the construction of
3.0 million passengers a year at Mwanza,” Mr Kamwelwe told a multitude
of people who gathered at the airport to receive the ATCL’s Dreamliner
on Sunday.
The
minister, who toured the Mwanza Airport before receiving the
Dreamliner, experienced the situation where passengers clogged the
terminal building waiting for the final board in the morning to Dar. In
the morning there were four flights operated by Precision Air, two of
ATCL and FastJet to Dar from Mwanza.
Mr
Kamwelwe, however, failed to mention the fund size and when the
construction will begin. Tanzania Airport Authority Mwanza Airport
Manager Mr Maulid Mohamed said the airport has 324 seats only.
“We
have terminal building capacity challenge…I know the government has new
plans to address the challenge,” Mr Mohamed, who just transferred from
Arusha, said.
Kilimanjaro
Airport Development Company (KADCO) acting Managing Director,
Christopher Mukoma said airport was renovated recently at a tune of 39
million Euros.
The
renovation increased the airport capacity from 500,000 passengers per
year to 1.2 million. “At the moment we are handling 800,000 passengers a
year," Mr Mukoma said, “our business is growing at an average of 12 per
cent yearly”. The renovation involved improving terminal building, ramp
and runway.
The
Mwanza CCM Chairman, Mr Antony Diallo said despite Mwanza to be a hub
for air transport for Lake Zone its passenger building is outdated.
“It
is time to have a new terminal building. This one does not deserve to
be for this airport at current pace,” Mr Diallo said. The Mwanza Airport
runway has a length of 3.8 kilometres to lead all other country
airports.
Mr
Maulid said the second longest runway is KIA with 3.7 kilometres,
followed by Songwe Airport 3.3 kilometres and Dar es Salaam 3.0
kilometres, despite factoring in altitudes from sea level.
“However,
the altitude determined the distance of a runway,” Mr Mohamed said
adding the higher the altitude the long the runway distance.
He said since Julius Nyerere International Airport is at low altitude, in airline business, has the longest runway.
Mr
Mohamed “low pressure [at higher altitude] results in reduced air
resistance thus making it tougher for the aircrafts to slow down,” Mr
Mohamed said.
Other
challenges were for Airco, ATCL ground handling firm, that had to
physically count almost 260 passengers of Boeing 787-8 at Julius Nyerere
International in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza Airport instead of using
barcode system.
Daily
News saw ATCL cabin crews walking the aisle to physically count
passengers before taking off as Airco is yet to automate its system,
which was a time consuming process.
Also
security check, handled by TAA, should be revamped by increasing
scanning machines and personnel at all airports to allow smoothly
checking.
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