Aviation sector grows
18 Oct 2015
President Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama says Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) evolvement from a small makeshift terminal to the current modern structure shows steady growth of the aviation sector in Botswana.
Speaking at the official opening of the airport’s terminal building and related expansion works President Khama said starting from 2010, the SSKIA terminal had evolved into a state of the art building, marking the country’s fast paced development paralleled by an equal growth in aviation activities.
He explained that SSKIA used to be a small makeshift terminal situated adjacent to the University of Botswana and the National Stadium before government relocated it in 1984 to a slightly bigger building remotely constructed about 20 kilometres from Gaborone city centre.
“The growth of the aviation sector has kept pace with the growth of the city, with some of the essential services in logistics being situated closer to the airport for convenience and synchronization of efforts as per the planning pertaining to transport services,” President Khama said.
He said government had always recognised the role played by air transport in the economy of the country.
“We know how critical air transport is and also that it contributes significantly towards tourism, trade, investment and the travel industry as a whole. It is in this realisation that we have deliberately decided to invest substantially in the development and improvement of our airports and other infrastructure,” he said.
In that regard, he indicated that all four major airports in Botswana had undergone development and improvement in the last 10 years, with huge capital investment work completed at the Francistown Airport in 2011, new terminal building at Kasane International Airport scheduled for completion in the next 12 months, and a new control tower and technical block at Maun Airport also due for completion early next year.
He added that the SSKIA runway was extended from 3000m to 4000m in 2011 to handle the largest commercial jet aircraft.
“It is also planned that the terminal building will be expanded in the short term for purposes of making it more functional and to accommodate increased passenger growth,” he said.
He further said government intended to transform SSKIA into a vibrant commercial centre.
He said the recently developed SSKIA Land Use Master Plan had projected an increase with respect to passenger traffic of approximately 1.5 million passengers in the year 2025.
“Consequently, with the land use master plan, the intention is to transform the airport into a vibrant commercial centre thus turning it into an “Airport City”. If well planned, the airport will become a centre of urban activity which can translate into large numbers of people, public and private transport, commercial activity and offices far removed from the Gaborone metropolitan centre,” President Khama said.
Therefore, he said the airport terminal had to be made flexible to give travellers good experience coupled with good commercial and leisurely experience.
“I urge the Ministry of Transport and Communications to continue to marketing our aviation industry so that we can attract more major players to utilise our airports through inter alia, the signing of Bilateral Air Service Agreements,” he said.
Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Mr Nonofo Molefhi explained that SSKIA expansion project started in 2008 and was expected to be completed in 2010.
However, Minister Molefhi said completion took long due to challenges with the initial contractor engaged by government.
He said during implementation, government terminated the contract with the initial contractor after realising that the level of its commitment started to decline as they failed to meet several project deadlines.“We have been in and out of legal wrangles with the initial contractor following their inability to complete this project. We still have other legal matters pending before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Arbitral Tribunal as we speak,” Mr Molefhi said.
A new contractor, Stefannuti Stocks Botswana, was then engaged and was finally able to finish the project.
Mr Molefhi said while government regretted delays caused due to contractual difficulties, they were however proud that the quality of the project was not compromised.
“Despite all the difficulties, we encountered during the delivery of this project, we stayed focused to our goal. We have learnt our lessons in the process and that experience will be put to good use in the future so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes,” he said.
He said the expanded SSKIA had modern and sophisticated installations and amenities which would meet users’ demands.
Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo explained that the expanded SSKIA would help to attract more airlines to open routes to Botswana. Mr Mabeo said the airport was a sign of government’s commitment to build aviation industry into a robust engine for economic growth. Ends
Source : BOPA
Author : Jeremiah Sejabosigo
Location : Gaborone
Event : Official opening
Date : 18 Oct 2015
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