In 2015, the Ondangwa Airport Runway Rehabilitation Project successfully kicked off. At the time, the China State Construction Engineering Corporation signed its agreement to carry out its development works.
Fast forward to 2018, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) revoked the tender project. However, on 3rd April 2018, General Manager and Director of the contracting company appealed for the application to be dismissed “at all costs”. Zhou Xihua further noted that since August 2016, the tender revokes made the company incur total running costs of well over N$66 million.
The Ondangwa Airport Runway Rehabilitation Project included the widening and lengthening of its current runway. Furthermore, board minutes dated 10th March 2017, reveal that the project had a total of N$240 million in its capital budget. Then in 2019, a judge of the Windhoek High Court declared the project’s tender void.
As a result, the project stalled without any further progress.
Reported On 23 March 2015
Namibia’s Ondangwa airport runway rehabilitation project kicks off
Namibia’s Ondangwa Airport Runway rehabilitation has kicked off, with construction being carried out by China State Construction Engineering Corporation which signed an agreement on Friday last week with the Namibian Airports Company (NAC) and Aurecon Namibia.
The airport runway project will cost 16 million U.S. dollars and is expected to be completed in July 2016. “This is a great step for us,” the Chief executive officer of NAC Tamar El-Kallawi said at the signing ceremony.
The airport runway rehabilitation project will involve widening of the runway to 45 meters and lengthening it to 2.8 kilometers. This will allow the accommodation of the Airbus A319 at the airport. Ondangwa airport infrastructure will also upgrade to make Namibia a connection hub according to the CEO.
“We are strategically positioning ourselves by upgrading our airport infrastructure to meet this need. This will also create much-needed employment for Namibians,” he said.
Air Namibia has two flights between Windhoek and Ondangwa daily currently. Apart from the airport runway rehabilitation project, the country is also undertaking Namibia’s Walvis Bay Airport rehabilitation and upgrading, with the project targeted to end July this year and cost US$17m. This will help it open itself to larger capacity at the airports, as well as reduce inefficiencies.
Reported On 23 March 2018
Namibia’s Ondangwa Airport to undergo rehabilitation
The Namibian Airports Company (NAC) aims to repair broken tiles at Ondangwa Airport. The current airport status has been an eyesore for people making use of the airport.
According to Nankelo Amupadhi, NAC spokesperson, an investigation will determine the cause of the airport’s current status and enable management to undertake the necessary corrective measures.
Besides, since the completion of the terminal building, NAC has experienced several problems with the tiles used. However, in order to manage the situation, NAC has commissioned an independent audit to determine the cause of the airport’s problems.
The Ondangwa Airport began to fall apart two years after NAC had revamped the terminal building and the runway at a cost of US $7.1m.
The contractor
In fact, according to Amupadhi, the passenger terminal building strives to improve the services offered at the airport. Chinese Quindao Construction company executed the rehabilitation after they were awarded the tender in 2013 ahead of nine companies.
Moreover, shortly after the revamp the front part of the airport terminal was already cordoned off to warn travelers of the damaged tiles. The tiles were peeling off which lead to some tiles being removed completely.
“The area cordoned off is simply to warn the traveling public about the tiles that need replacement, so that anyone walking there does not get injuries,” clarified Amupadhi.
Meanwhile, NAC has apologized to travelers for the inconvenience and appealed for patience while they correct the defects. Calle Schlettwein, the Finance Minister also expressed concern about the state of the Ondangwa Airport’s tiles back in 2017.
In 2015 President Hage Geingob was optimistic the new terminal and runway will establish a new benchmark of functional efficiency and operational safety for airports in Namibia. “It exemplifies our intent as a nation to build world-class infrastructure. I have no doubt that this terminal will fulfill our expectations and make us all very proud,” said President Geingob during the official inauguration of the new terminal.
