Construction works for the new Kenneth Kaunda International Airport terminal has started.
Works, Supply, Transport and Communication minister Yamfwa Mukanga says the works will be completed within the stipulated 54 months period.
Mr. Mukanga who inspected the works in Lusaka today said the funders EXIM Bank of China has released 1 hundred and 8 million dollars out of 3 hundred and 60 million dollars earmarked for the project.
He said government has no direct involvement in the financing of the project and that the designs are still the same contrary to media speculations.
Mr. Mukanga says 95 percent of the drawings have been completed.
He said the Contractor China Jiangsu will start with the construction of the Presidential terminal, fire and rescue, control tower and the International terminal building.
And government says it has not abandon plans to introduce a National Airline.
Mr. Mukanga says is still working out strategies on the project.
He has told the media in Lusaka that government is hopeful that Zambia will have a national flag carrier by the year 2018.
He said government wants the country to have a national airline once the modern Kenneth Kaunda International Airport Terminal is completed.
1 hundred and 8 million dollars out of 3 hundred and 60 million dollars
funny way of writing numbers ka.
300 million by the cheap chinese constructors, must be 2 new airports. How much abane Chikwanda will grab from that, just ka 1million dollars no one will notice from the 300 million.
Ba Lungu bena will only have a share of Jameson gifts.
Please just come up with an airline as soon as possible. Do we need to wait for another 4 years and 6 months for the same. Our own airline will help boost up the crumbling economy. Why depend on other airlines? We are tired of connection flights and besides some of these countries we pass through are not safe. And please do not divert the funds meant for the project to your by elections and start stacking it in your bedrooms. We need development not just seen bulky bellies and ministers failing to breath due to weight issues. Talema! Be serious!
Hahahaha Mukanga and his Airline hallucinations! Each time he gets a chance to comment on anything related to airport, he brings in issue of national flag carrier. But I am still waiting because after visiting Emirates and holding successful talks, he told us that by june 2014 Govt will establish airline.
The name given to this so called new airport is very wrong in the first place. KK’s name does NOT deserve such an institution let alone, renaming. The man is/was a chancer, an illegal immigrant from the then Nyasaland, today’s Malawi and is NOT Zambian.
Guys please think. Do you really imagine that a “Mulenga” from Northern Zambia could have his name remembered like we’ve done to KK in Malawi let alone in Africa? I think not, these things can only happen in Zambia; typical…
Get a life you moron
You are a bitter fool
Yes, we should name this airport the ” ECONOMIC DISASTER DICTATOR Airport”.
Kaunda single handedly destroyed Zambias future and made us a Nation of BEGGARS that had to go to HIPC for food.
How can we name an Airport after him? We should rather name a prison where he jailed his opponents with his name.
Then he can be remembered for his abuse of Human Rights on the Zambian people.
This minister is hallucinating . WhenNational airlines are being abandoned by many countries but he is still talking about it. Even the South African airways is in trouble as it just cannot compete .
Another loan from EXIM Bank of China which basically means we use Chinese Contractors as sole purpose of these banks is to promote the export of Chinese products and services.
When are we going to wake up and this imbecile Yamfwa has the audacity to talk about an airline when his is borrowing money left right and center.
Yes we saw the digitalized images of the future airport on the news, brillient i must say. Am dissappointed that the pictures didnt make their way to this site, it was a media conference after all. Beautiful control tower, lovely hotel and all sorts of amenities. At least we will surpass the highly modernised international airport in harare, the pride of zimbabwe, which i’ve always been jealous of. Government, Keep pushing we are in a hurry to develop.
The Harare airport is not modern at all. It’s low ceilings at the entry side makes it feel claustrophobic, like you are entering one of Mugabe’s large-scale jails for Ndebeles.
I hate to think about the idea of a National airline.What we should think of is tendering for International Airlines to bid for a position of being our archor Airline in the new terminal so we can achieve the dream of Zambia being a connection hub….no need for a so called flag carrier.Lets not go there please we have failed to run an airline and believe me nothing has changed for us to have an illusion of an airline….puliizzz…
If govt can borrow money even to buy vehicles for govt departments, then Mukanga still dreams about national flag carrier!
The new Chief Lusaka International Airport should not have the Presidential terminal, instead there should be only two terminals: one local and the other one international. …I am assuming there is need even in zambia to fly to various domestic destinations.The presidential terminal requirment,if this is same as the current VIP lounge, should be housed in both terminals.
this is a useless and lying government with no vision. we were once told that the national airline will take off during the time of UNWTO, then each year we were told that the airline will be up and running before the end of the year. Now this Mukanga is telling us that it will be up and runing by 2018. what a lying govt? Chagwa will not be president by that time. so keep your mouth shut and don’t lie to us anymore. i am surprised that we Zambians are so docile to be voting in a lying govnt. why would someone with a vision wait until a new airport terminal is built to have a new airline? Mukanga just say that PF has failed and that she has been tleling lies to Zambians.
After the initial $25m was stolen for just effecting cladding around the site, expect this project to cost ten times the original budget ie. $3 billion. These PFoolish thieves will get rich out of this project.
Out of the US$360m I estimate $300 is not even going to touch Zambia as China Jiangxi is going to buy most of the materials needed from China, the only revenue Zambia will realise is from workers pay, overheads and statutory payments (although we don’t know what investment incentives China Jiangxi are enjoying and this project is probably VAT exempt). Oh well, as long as the economic benefits allow us to pay back the principle and interest AND generate additional income.
@Mwape Mbokeme, Please shut your beak up.
Good job GRZ. Please think of making another new airport to be called Copperbelt International Airport possibly at the confluence of the Ndola-Kitwe-Luanshya roads. This will make sense because it will serve Copperbelt including Solwezi in the North Western Province. The Ndola airport belongs to the archives.
@sunta sunkutu, brilliant contribution.
Ama Picture kabili ba LT kwati tamwikala mu Lusaka? You cant send a reporter to the airport?