06 Jul 2017

The new Kasane International Airport terminal building this week opened its doors for operations following the completion of the first phase of the upgrading of the terminal facilities.

Passengers will no longer have to put up with the old terminal which had become congested due to ongoing construction to upgrade it.

A press release from CAAB highlights that the new terminal building measures 7 800 square metres as compared to the original one which was 1 300 square metres.

The new terminal is expected to cater for the growth of the airport and boosts the capacity to handle more international flights.

The relocation will pave way for the completion of the second phase of the project which include blending and refurbishment of the existing old terminal building and other buildings.

This part of the project is expected to be completed in November this year.

The new terminal building followed an earlier upgrade of the airport runway from two kilometres to three kilometres to cater for larger aircrafts.

Runway widening has also been carried out increasing it from 30 to 45 metres.

It is envisaged that the refurbished terminal building will accommodate 673 000 passengers per annum by 2030.

Upgrading of the Kasane airport entailed construction of both a new terminal building and an air traffic control tower.

The upgrading of the airport terminal is part of Botswana’s aim of turning Kasane into a regionally competitive tourist hub.

Aviation and connectivity have for years been the weak link in the tourism value chain.

The latest developments have therefore boosted the local tourism sector by adding an aesthetic feature to the airport which is the first port of entry for many international tourists. ENDS