Thursday, March 28, 2024

Livingstone International Airport to expand

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File: Livingstone international airport

National Airport Corporation Limited (NACL) has sourced about US$13 Million (K64bn) for the construction of a second Terminal Building at Livingstone International Airport that is expected to enhance the capacity for the Airport to handle international flights.

Livingstone International Airport Manager, Joseph Mumbi said the new Terminal would operate side by side with the old building that currently can only handle the capacity of about 2,500 passengers per month.

He said the number of international travelers at the Airport has been on an increase over the last five years owing to the first renovation in 2001 and the widening of the tourism industry.[pullquote]However Mr.Mumbi said the Airport is faced with challenges to do with vandalism and Elephant encroachment.
He said since the Airport was build on an Elephant trail and little can be done
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Mr.Mumbi said the Airport has the capacity to handle five International Flights and forecasts more Aero activities in the near future owing to booming tourism sector.He said with the current facilities including the first Terminal Building, the Airport has managed to host larger air-crafts such as the Boeing 767 that landed on the grounds last year.

“So that is the capacity we have and looking ahead we see a situation where we have increased traffic owing to the growing demand of Air transport,” he said.
Mr.Mumbi said recently the Airport gained a status of being used as a transit point for International Flights.

However Mr.Mumbi said the Airport is faced with challenges to do with vandalism and Elephant encroachment.
He said since the Airport was build on an Elephant trail little can be done but lamented that some members of the community are fond of stealing the fencing despite patrols by Security Officers.

He said this when Southern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Alfred Chiingi inspected the new Terminal Building at Livingstone International Airport yester night.

And Mr.Chiingi said he is happy that NACL is running the five International Airports in the country with a business motive.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary said Livingstone International Airport that was built in 1950 as a domestic landing ground has undergone several changes to reach milestone of becoming an international gateway.

On the issue of vandalism, Mr.Chiingi said the Government would send the Police to permanently guard the Runway.
A number of works have been carried out on the Airport since 2001, with the recent one being the extension of the Runway from 2.5Km to 3km stretch.

34 COMMENTS

  1. Way to GO… Zambia cares about foreigners, the tourists….. OOh I forget RB is both a foreigner and a tourist. Always airborne. even takes off without destination and makes one when in the air.

  2. What we need in Zambia is an umbitious plan to develop our transport facilities…..If we can make the lusaka international airport the biggest in South/Central africa, and owin to our geographical positioning in the region….we will definately make Zambia a transit point for all our neighbouring nations. To a nation like Zambia, we need world class transportation facilities so that all the nations around can use such facilities and am sure we can reap unprecedented benifits from that……

  3. What about the citizens, what are they going to gain since mos of them are only into low level jobs due to poor education? We need a better rail system, supported by a road network that is truly designed to enable tourism by citizens as well. Most Zambians have only seen wild animals when they have poached them for the pot. Shame. OUT MMD, OUT RB!!

  4. This will be a white elephant becoz Victoria Falls Town in Zimbabwe has come live again. These NACL fools should be telling the truth as this Airport doesnt get that many arrivals from abroad unless GRZ delegations led by you know who. Please Bwana NACL Manager liase with the Livingstone Tourism Association and useless Zambia Tourist Board rather lie to the whole world.

  5. #2, you hav a point, but look our lstone airport is now a park for elephants, where is the safety of the passengers and the crew. Nichani drama so pa zed, with all thoz zaf officers at that airport we still have such stories!!!!!! Imagine a tourist reading this, he will take it am going in the jungle.

  6. Although $13m is too little for the expansion of Livingstone airport, it is nonetheless a step in the right direction. We need a world class airport in Livingstone. #2 with the current crop of leaders, Lusaka airport will never be the biggest in South Central Africa. Maybe in Centra,l but not in Southern Africa because of Joburgh even though Jorburg lacks more land.

  7. What about Ndola Airport? Why are we not serious in Zambia? That second world war millitary base cant even handle passengers on two international flights at a go.Are we forgetting that the biggest stadium in Zambia will be ready for use soon? With all the big games taking place in Ndola, is our airport capable of handling even 500 passengers in a day? i doubt.

  8. #4 You’re right in saying that Victoria Falls Town in Zim has come alive again. You’re right in saying that NACL (….) are fools & that ZTB is useless. Our student’s predicted during Levy’s reign that Zim will overtake us again and they were lambasted by those followed the theory that Zim was a sinking titanic. Now our Phd students have been proved right in their prediction.

  9. Great news. With increased tourism activities in the city, increased capacity at the airport is much expected. Works on the Livingstone International Airport is much appreciated. Good job NACL.

  10. #8 you are spot on. Ndola airport needs an upgrade. too. I have been hearing of Lusaka and Livingstone airports for a long time now. The second world war military base should indeed be demolished and replaced by a modern terminal. This lopsided planning is what has disadvantaged us in the past. A mordern stadium will definitely bring in more traffic to Ndola.

  11. For a nation to prosper, one of the necesarry requirements is transport…..I have had the priviledge to research on hw a few countries managed to develop, in the 1950’s, the USA built the interstate highway and it brought massive benifits immediately. In the 2000, China embarked on an ambitious plan to develop its airports, railways and roads…….we all kno where China has reached. Back in Zambia, the benifits of such a plan will be felt by all Zambians……..

  12. A peasant famer will b able to transport his produce to the markets cheaply, industries will b setup anywhere in the country as there products cn be transported to the markets. People who fly will have the option to chose which airline to fly with, and with the coming of many airlines, air tickets will reduce dramatically hence bringing in more tourists. During the construction of these facilities, many people will be employed…….in case you didnt kno, the construction industry is one of the few industries that employs almost all professions.

  13. Thanks # 09, whats the point of spending so much money on an expansion that will be under utilised if that money could be channelled to build another Secondary School in either Livingstone or Kazungula District as these two districts only have 2 Secondary Schools. If that expansion is meant for International arrivals then forget it because Zambia has just come out as the most expensive tourist destination in the World, if I am lying let NACL Airport provide figures to counter. We are just a transit point for Malawi, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe until we get our act together we might as well stop talking about tourism development in Zambia.

  14. Thats why i challenge these politicians to come up with such ambitious plans and tell the electorates wat they would like to do if voted. Dont tell me bullshit like more money in your pockets……Thats why it kills me hw a normal human being can endup supporting such empty politicians. I think its time Zambians started challenging their leaders as we surely deserve better political leadership in Zambia. No country cn develop without scientists and engineers…and yet these politicians pay no attention to such professions……..

  15. #9, True, Zambia is just used as a transit point to other countries. I’ve been to both the Zim side & the Zam side. I’ve been at sun hotel too. Good hotel, but very expensive. Imagine tourists paying a thousand dollars for a night or over. How many average tourists have that money to spend. A similar world class hotel near where some of our professors live does not even cost that much. Besides being the most expensive destination, our nation is very dirty too. How many tourists these days would like to spend more time in a dirty environment? Maybe ba Mwenye. Many of my white friends do talk of visiting Botswana than Zambia despite my promotion of the mighty Vic Falls. They have seen internet photos of Botswana and they believe that it is a clean country even before they set foot there.

  16. We sent u to study in diaspora,dont just talk coz ur time is coming to act RB and others will be history eg tetamashimba so its a circle and if u fail to perform ur children will laugh u as a foolsh dad.In Z pipo who think big r very few coz even the so-called politicians when they travel out are surprised to see infrastructure in other countries.How do u expect a leader who thinks to construct a state of art infrastructure is a miracle or God’s blessing to develop a country?Until we have pipo who know n think big that anything is pissible.Minister of supply MULONGOTI what big infrastructure can he think of coz he just bought a first 3 bedroomed house in life.so dont joke.Just finish sku in diaspora n come n do what u see there.Cheers!

  17. # 8 Mushala,i cant agree with you more.Ndola airport cant be called an airport by any decent person who has travelled.Thats an airstrip or rather a private one for that matter.Yes the biggest stadium will be in ndola,but how do we get there,i guess the Chinese will prevail.

  18. Comprehensive infrastructure planning at national level is seriously lacking. Bits and pieces don’t add up to a whole system.

  19. I am embarrassed every time I use Ndola Airport. Someone please do something. Place is becoming busy with flights to joburg, Nairobi via Lubumbashi and Dar es salaam via lsk. Plus local flights to kasama, solwezi, Mansa, Lsk etc. Ala it is embarrassing when Kenya airways, Airlink lands you don’t want the crew to get out of the plane or even look outside!

  20. Go Zambia go. Its encouraging to read about efforts being made to make progress in the right places. Remember, ‘progress well tought-out is progress half achieved’ even before you begin actual construction works. My message to LIA Manager Mr. Joseph Mumbi and your team is focus on the big picture of Zambia as a motivation. When all the copper and its by-products are mined and sold, Zambia will be compelled to turn to tourism. So what you are doing has a direct bearing on the post-copper Zambia and on your children and grand-children’s future employment/business prospects. (That includes your neighbour’s children too). So look for solutions. If the Airport was built on an Elephant trial, and people are stealing the fence, electrify the fence as farmers do. If ZESCO is not reliable…

  21. Cont’d… use solar power and wind energy. There is affordable appropriate technology nowadays for that. If you run short of money go and bargain with Govt/Mines with your boots on and take no prisoners!!. Make a case for post-copper Zambia, with a Bankable business plan. Do it for yourself, for you children and your children’s children and your neighbours’ ( In a Biblical sense.). The time is now,!!

  22. “US$13 Million (K64bn) for the construction of a second Terminal Building at LIA” Would it not be better to renovate the current “terminal”. I went through LIA 2 years ago and I must say I was not impressed at all. I am Zambian, born and bred, let me tell I was rather embarrassed. The airport did not look fit for purpose and should not be called an international airport when it was struggling to handle domestic flights! The infrastructure was terribly dilapidated. The same goes for Lusaka International Airport; it can be improved. These two airports have the potential to compete with best and boost tourism if they are invested in properly.

  23. #26, Ou students too do feel embarrassed whenever they pass through Livingstone, Lusaka and Ndola airports. the $13m should have been for phase 1 part of modernisation. Plans should have been put in place for phases 3 and 4 etc of the airport’s modernisation. Looking at our leadership, it will take another 20 to 30 years before someone will think of extending the airport.

  24. 2500 passengers a month with elephants encroaching is hardly a place to be called “international” as it remains a regional airport.

  25. Compare the photo above with the one through the link below

    http : // outdoors. webshots. com / photo / 1251390700037495482 z So N j d

    Fellow Zambians, our aiport boards need to jack up & not just pride in calling our air strips as international airports when there’s nothing international about them

  26. Zambia Daily Mail report that the brainless NACL have introduce new airport taxes called Security Tax. $5 for international travel & $3 for domestic travel. These brainless people don’t realize that
    International travelers are already paying airport departure Tax. That money should be used for
    Security and other airport charges. How many serious travelers would like to come to Zambia with such high taxes?

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