After years of being non-functional, Moshi Airport is set to reopen soon. Located just a short distance from the heart of Moshi Municipality, the airport is undergoing extensive rehabilitation to accommodate increased flights. Travelers can expect improved infrastructure and expanded services as the airport prepares to resume operations.
In the near future, Moshi Airport, which has been mostly absent from the radar of aviation-related activity for several years, will become operational.
The facility, located less than a mile from the municipality’s centre, is currently undergoing extensive renovations that will allow it to expand the number of flights it operates.
Additionally, the completion of the civil works in November of this year, which cost a total of 12.3 billion shillings, is expected to encourage tourism and other economic activity in the region.
“The rehabilitation has reached 35 per cent,” said Ms Neema Mwasha, an engineer from the National Road Agency (Tanroads) responsible for airport construction.
She provided this information during a recent visit to the location, when she stated that the rehabilitation had reached 35 percent and that the completion date would be November 18th.
The project, estimated to cost multiple billions of shillings, is entirely sponsored by the government, and 12.3 billion shillings was allocated in the budget for it.
The project will rehabilitate the airport’s most important components, including the runway, taxiway, apron, terminal building, lighting system, and parking lot.
She informed the press that the primary objective of substantial improvements is to increase the number of flights. She said this as she was inspecting the facility to evaluate the work that had been done.
A supervisor at the Tanroads regional office in Kilimanjaro, Mr. Benitto Mdzovela, stated that the airport’s lightning system would also be updated in all of its components.
They will include lights on the runway, the apron, the terminal building, and any other structures next to the runway to ensure the safe landing and takeoff of aeroplanes.
It is planned to fence off the entire airport area, which is located close to a high-density neighborhood in Moshi, to reduce the number of people who enter the region and ensure the safety of operations. However, the official from Tanroads did not explicitly state whether the rehabilitation would make it possible for the facility to begin night flights in preparation for an increase in the volume of traffic.
Moshi Airport, created in 1954, is one of the oldest airports in the country, dating back to British colonial rule. Before the establishment of the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) in the 1970s, this location served as a gateway to the northern tourism circuit of the country.
Moshi Aerodrome and King George VI Playing Field were both names that once referred to this location. At that time, it was the airfield located the closest to the magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro.
While Kenya International Airport (KIA) was in the process of capturing a significant portion of the market, the Ministry of Works continued to manage the airport until 1999, when the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) was founded.
Even though Moshi facility had lost market share to KIA and that Arusha airport had been refurbished multiple times, it continued to operate a modest passenger terminal that provided fundamental amenities such as check-in counters, waiting lounges, and a VIP lounge as well.
Furthermore, it is equipped with a modest parking lot and a helipad, and it is now awaiting plans to expand and modernize the airport’s infrastructure to accommodate the increasing demand for air travel in the region.
See hotels near Kilimanjaro International Airport
A much-needed facelift
It’s Moshi. One billion shillings has been set aside by the government for the purpose of renovating the Moshi Airport, which is located in the northern zone, which is a popular tourist destination.
The minister for Works, Transport, and Infrastructure, Mr. Issack Kamwelwe, stated over the weekend that the airport, which is currently primarily used for charter flights, was tarmacked seven years prior to the independence of Tanganyika, which would subsequently be known as Tanzania.
According to him, a significant refurbishment was necessary for the hotel to continue to play an active role in the growth of the country’s tourism industry.
It is not in a good state that the airport is in…Those who stroll close to it, particularly when planes are taking off or landing, are putting themselves in danger because it is not fenced. He stated that it was tarmacked in 1954, and because of this, it need yet another significant restoration.
The Moshi Airport is well-positioned to assist tourists who are coming to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.
Mr. Kamwelwe gave the Tanzania Airports Authority (Taa) the directive to work with the Tanzania Roads Agency (Tanroads) to carry out an exhaustive study that would determine the appropriate sum of money necessary to renovate the airport.
Only one month was allotted to TAA for him to determine the actual requirements for the entire rehabilitation of the Moshi Airport.
Business analysts believe that if the facility were to undergo renovation, it would be able to function as an important entrance to the northern circuit of the country, which is something that draws thousands of tourists each year. Its proximity to Mount Kilimanjaro makes it a popular starting point for climbers and hikers attempting to conquer Africa’s highest mountain. In addition to the possibility of offering direct flights to well-known destinations such as the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Zanzibar, also, it can offer direct flights to these places.
See also: Best way to fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport
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