Expansion of Hosea Kutako International Airport to start in June

WINDHOEK, 29 MAY  – The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) on Tuesday disclosed its plans to expand the Hosea Kutako International Airport, commencing work in June 2018 for a period of eight months.
The expansion will cost US$19 million (around N$240 million).

NAC in a media statement said they will have temporary expansions of the current facility in certain key areas, namely the check-in hall, security screening point, arrivals hall and the luggage handling areas.

“These are all temporary improvements, at most useful for the next five years. Our immediate preoccupation is to resolve the congestion and resultant compliance issues in the short term,” it said.

The current terminal building was constructed in 1985 to handle 250 000 passengers a year, but currently, the airport handles nearly a million passengers per annum.

This is the result of Namibia being a popular tourist destination and a significant increase in the number of international airlines serving numerous international destinations, said NAC.

The planned expansion is not expected to have any serious effects on the operations of the airport.
The statement further said the company is engaged in determining funding options for the new airport terminal and related investments.

“The options include, but are not limited to, a Public Private Partnership, Treasury funding, raising money in local currency from local sources against the NAC balance sheet and so forth,” it said.

All projections are that traffic volumes will double in another 10 to 15 years and that would therefore necessitate construction of a new airport terminal and improvements of the runway, taxiway and the apron, the statement added.
NAMPA