THE construction of a new terminal building at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport will be completed in May 2013 ahead of schedule in readiness for 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly, Project manager Peter Kapala has said.
Currently, the existing airport building has the capacity to attract 250, 000 passengers per year while the new terminal building would be attracting about 700, 000 passengers per year annually.
Mr Kapala said the completion of a terminal building had been moved to May 2013 from the earlier timeframe of June next year because most resources were currently available to do finishing touches.
He was speaking in Livingstone at the weekend when a delegation of Permanent Secretaries led by Deputy Secretary to Cabinet Peter Kasanda inspected the construction of a new terminal building at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport.
The Permanent Secretaries, who are members of the National Steering committee supervising and overseeing the preparations for the holding of the 2013 UNWTO general assembly, were in Livingstone and other surrounding areas to inspect various projects and facilities ahead of the tourism conference.
“We are ahead of schedule and we will finish the remaining works by May 2013. Almost all the resources required are available while other materials will be arriving in the country soon after New Year holiday,” Mr Kapala said.
He said most pending works only needed a shorter period for them to be completed such as five days or less than a month.
National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL) managing director Robinson Misitala assured the Permanent Secretaries that the new airport infrastructure would be commissioned before the UNWTO general assembly.
Mr Misitala said it would take many years to fill the capacity of Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport once the terminal building was completed.
The new terminal building would have two boarding gates, five club lounges, 30 retail spaces and viewing terraces among other facilities.
And National Steering Committee chairperson for the August 2013 UNWTO general assembly Peter Kasanda has called for an improvement of border facilities to improve the image of the country.
Mr Kasanda said border posts were very important for tourism because that was where the picture of the country emerged to the outside world.
He was speaking on Saturday after members of the National Steering Committee inspected Katimamulilo, Kazungula and Victoria Falls border posts.
The three border posts are entry points to Livingstone, a city which would co-host the UNWTO general assembly with Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe from August 24 to 29, 2013.
Zambia and Zimbabwe are expecting a maximum of 4 000 participants during the UNWTO general assembly next year.
This would comprise of 1 500 delegates from more than 180 member states, affiliate and associate members of the UNWTO, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the general travelling public.
The two countries have so-far agreed to share the costs of co-hosting on 50/50 basis, which means that each country would host about 2, 000 delegates.
PF should have used the money from Eurobonds and build completely new airports in Lusaka, Lstone and Ndola and name them with those new funny names. The airport in Ndola looks like chitele while the Lusaka airport does not deserve to be called an international. I would probably call it aka cabin.
Ulichipumbu. sela tubombeko
Please remove the picture of the naked baby, children need to be protected.
I think the artist impression looks beautiful. Now please move to build a new Airport in Lusaka. Lusaka can be a very convenient regional hub. Please do something, don’t just make pronouncements without doing anything.
Haha,ati “the buiding has capacity to attract 250k passengers” Airport terminals by themselves don’t attract passengers but rather the area tourist attractions,investment opps and the degree of linkages between local economy to regional and world economy.
Sata should have just left the airport names alone. Even the artist impression still shows Livingstone not Harry mwaanga Nkumbula airport. Just doesn’t sound right!!!! As the above chaps have said please do something about the other dated airports.
You are really haters. Sata has nothing to do with the artists impression. Amano yamuchimbusu. seleni tubombeko imwe bakonto.
Why are you Zambians afraid of change?
There is nothing wrong with naming airports after Zambian
former national politicians.
”Currently, the existing airport building has the capacity to attract 250, 000 passengers per year while the new terminal building would be attracting about 700, 000 passengers per year annually thereby bringing the total number of passengers to about 1, 000 per annum.”
Ba LT be serious in your reporting. Did you mean 1000 or 1000,000.00?? Do leave your readers to make assumptions, instead be cristal clear in your reporting, like ‘The Post”
Thank you
KANSHI, WHO DESIGNS BUILDINGS IN ZAMBIA? SURLY, IF ZAMBIANS CAN’T WHY NOT OUTSOURCE FROM SAY SOUTH AFRICA OR EVEN CHINA? OR ASK THOSE WHO DESIGN BUILDINGS IN BOTSWANA TO DESIGN OUR. THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE ICITELE CA NKUMBA.
Does it mean that the airport is still called livingstone airport and not Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula?
Typical of zambians.Owalys complaining……you unfaithfull characters
Artist impression imwe bantu.This was before renaming was done.Why dont you follow some of these developemnts?
Some one is seriously mathematically challenged at LT! How can you have 250,000 and 700,000 equal 1000 passengers per year? And what is “…attracting about 700, 000 passengers ‘per year annually’…” supposed to mean?! Come on guys at LT, some of these mistakes are just silly!
Good looking terminal though!
No 6 you will be surprised to know that many zambians are leading architects in SAfrica
A new airport to be called “Copperbelt International Airport” must be built on the outskirts of Lunshya/Ndola and Kitwe. This can service all Copperbelt towns especially closer to the Luanshya/Ndola turn off. The dual carriage way would serve the passengers better. The Copperbelt as a hub can be transformed and in turn can serve the region of Southern Africa. Yes Ndola airport is katemba airport and is an eyesore. Shut it down!
@lye its not lunshya, its luanshya
#11 THEN THOSE EXPOSED AND EXPERIENCED ZAMBIAN ARCHITECTS MUST BE GIVEN THE CONTRACTS TO DESIGN IN THAT CASE. COZ I REMEMBER IN KK’s TIME ALMOST EVERY ARCHITECTURAL WORK WAS GIVEN TO INDIANS AND THEY DESTROYED OUR TOWNS BY POOR STRUCTURES. YES, YOU ARE RIGHT ZAMBIANS ABROAD AND OVERSEAS DO A GOOD JOB. I DOUBT WITH THE ONES IN ZAMBIA DUE TO LACK OF EXPOSURE.
Please key in lower case. When you key in upper case you are SHOUTING.
Question to all the people in diaspora that post here here; when was the last time you were home? I ask because there has been so much improvement. As for LT trust you to post the worst pics always. *smh* Yes you are supposed to show both sides of the coin . Anyway things are changing.
When Zambian journalists report there is comedy:
“Currently, the existing airport building has the capacity to attract 250, 000 passengers”
Really? Perhaps the airlines can then fight to get those 250000 passengers onto their planes eh? Could be that’s the way it works when airports attract passengers