Construction supervision of the R450-million upgrade to Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro International Airport will be undertaken by a South African consulting team.

Work on the project is due to start in July this year and be completed by early 2017.The project, which is being handled by Royal HaskoningDHV and Tanzanian sub-consultant, Howard Humphreys, is funded in part by the Dutch Grant Facility for Infrastructure Development (ORIO) and partly by a commercial loan to the Tanzania Ministry of Finance.

Company spokesperson and project manager Marcel Langeslag explains that the construction contract was the culmination of several years of preparatory work by three Royal HaskoningDHV Group companies – its South African operation, NACO – Netherlands Airport Consultants and InterVISTAS.

“Strong traffic growth and the mix of domestic and international flights at the airport have resulted in capacity constraints and this rehabilitation and expansion project will relieve congestion and provide capacity for future growth. It will also ensure the airport is given a make-over that will enhance the passenger experience” he says.

“Royal HaskoningDHV and NACO have been involved with this project from its inception, working closely with the client and the donor organisations to get the project off the ground.

“We have been able to assist the airport with a wide range of services, including master planning, civil engineering and terminal building architecture” explains Langeslag.

Scope of Work

On the airside this project includes the extension of parallel taxiway to enhance runway capacity, the expansion of apron to create more aircraft parking stands, the rehabilitation of all airside pavements.

The Terminal Building will be reconfigured and rehabilitated, including, the creation of a central commercial lounge and separate waiting areas for domestic and international passengers, improved security and passport control processes to modern international standards, construction of a new roof terrace to increase the capacity of the lounge area.

“A challenge to the professional team is that the airport has to remain operational throughout the entire duration of the works. The goals are to maintain safe airport operations at all time, and to minimise the adverse impact on passengers, airlines and other stakeholders at the airport” he concludes.