Julius Nyerere International Airport in final touches
Hardly four months before completion of the eagerly awaited Julius Nyerere International Airport’s (JNIA) Terminal-III, construction works have been accomplished by 91 per cent.According to Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), the mega project is scheduled for completion by May 30, this year.
Completion of the airport, described as the first of its kind with highly sophisticated technological systems, is expected to attract more passengers from various parts of the world. TANROADS Project Manager Chrispianus Ako said in Dar es Salaam over the weekend that upon its completion, the Tanzania’s biggest and busiest international airport will have the capacity to handle six million passengers, annually.
He said the airport will also have a parking lot capable of accommodating 2,075 vehicles at once. Engineer Ako was speaking to a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources on a tour of the facility to assess the development and implementation of the multibillion project.
The delegation, led by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Professor Adolf Mkenda was also accompanied by Uhuru Media Director General, Mr Ernest Sungura. Other delegates included experts from Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA), Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB) and Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA).Uhuru Media and Tourism Ministry have been assigned to promote the country’s tourism potentials, with JNIA being among the potential areas in attracting tourists.
Engineer Ako told the delegates that the airport has been connected to modern communication systems that allow experts to see everything that is taking place within the premises. Netherland’s company, BAM is executing the project under the supervision of the Egyptian firm—Arab Consulting Engineers. According to Engineer Ako, the screening systems at terminal III are capable of serving 2,800 people within an hour, translating into an average of 400 people in 10 minutes.
“So far most of the jobs have been completed, we are now testing the whole system, the exercise that will take us to May 30, this year, which is the handing over date,” he said. The building is installed with modern machines and systems that mostly allow passengers to acquire services immediately on their own. Among the installed modern machines allow passengers with electronic passports to check-in without waiting for immigration officers.
One of the Engineers, Rehema Myeya showed the delegation some of the machines and the way the system operates. The building also has 14 elevators, nine escalators and two travelators as well as four baggage carousels. According to Engineer Myeya, it is only at JNIA where moving walkways have been installed in the East African region.
“There is no another airport in East Africa with travelators, we are the first to install this in the region,” she noted. Engineer Myeya added that the new airport also has 14 desks for serving passengers and 10 windows for immigration services. She added that the airport has the capacity to serve 19 aircraft at once while 11 other planes could park for disembarking or allowing passengers to board.
She said the airport also has several business areas, including the hotel. JNIA terminal III is among the mega projects that have employed huge number of people. According to Engineer Myeya, the project employed at least 2,000 people, with 80 per cent of them Tanzanians.
Professor Mkenda commended the project development, saying completion of the construction project will help to promote tourism and Tanzania as a whole. “We have been satisfied with construction works, we are sure its completion will be of great importance to our tourism industry,” he said.