Construction works on Kenneth Kaunda International Airport project in Zambia nears completion. Fumu Mondoloka, Managing Director of the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited said the project has reached an advanced stage, with over 90% of works done.
“We are doing a lot of work towards that aspiration, we hope we can make it a fitting tribute to the man it is named after,” said Mr. Mondoloka.
The Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is situated 27km away the capital Lusaka. The airport is the biggest in Zambia. It was previously called Lusaka International Airport before being renamed after Zambia’s first president Kenneth Kaunda.
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Hub for Zambia
The airport is run by the National Airport Corporation (NACL) of Zambia and has one runway, 3,962m long and paved with asphalt. It recorded traffic of one million passengers in 2014. Works on the airport started in June 2015 and the contract was awarded to China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Cooperation.
Among the developments that are being undertaken include runways and auxiliary facilities around the airport such as hotels, shopping malls, a fire station and the rehabilitation of the already existing terminal which would be dedicated to handling domestic flights only.
The government is spending about US $360M on upgrades alone. According to Mondoloka, the project will be completed within this quarter upon which the airport will be a hub for the southern African region. Currently, the airport has a capacity of 2 million passengers per year. This is expected to increase to about 6 million once commissioned.
Zambia has a total of four international airports, five airstrips and five secondary airfields that serve both domestic and international flights, and the main and biggest airport in Lusaka is the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. The government is focused towards improving infrastructure at all airports.
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