A brand new terminal building is currently being built at Botswana’s Kasane International Airport. The building was expected to be fully operational by the end of 2016, however the final stage of the upgrade is now expected to be completed by mid-2017.

The new terminal will cater for the future growth of the airport, and boosts its capacity for more frequent international flights.

Civil engineering company AECOM was appointed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) to assist with the project and also provide supervision services throughout the duration of the upgrades.

Airport upgrades

Construction for the airside facilities included upgrading the existing 2,120 m x 30 m runway to a 3,000 m x 45 m wide surfaced runway, as well as a new apron to accommodate three large aircrafts and several smaller non-scheduled aircrafts.

The airside construction works were completed in April 2013.

The airport noted that passenger flow had now increased beyond the capacity of the existing 1,300 m² terminal building, and needs to be upgraded urgently.

AECOM’s design team was appointed for the entire scope of the project, including architecture, project management, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, fire services and piping.

Jaco Theron, resident project manager of project and construction services for AECOM’s Africa division said that the approved concept called for a 10 000 m² expandable, smart, aesthetically-pleasing, climate-controlled, functional building.

“Buildability was an obstacle for the design team due to the remote location within Botswana,” he added. “The structure had to be designed in in such a way so as to accommodate material availability.”

Project challenges

Challenges while construction was underway included sourcing aggregates. AECOM said this “posed a particular challenge for the contractor, with some aggregates imported from neighbouring country Namibia, and some were trucked in from Francistown, about 500 km away”.

The company added that the existing terminal building had to also remain functional throughout construction and also had be encompassed into the new building, without demolishing any of the existing structure.