......

TANZANIA STORY Photos 1-10 Air Safari - Mafia, Selous, Ruaha National Parks Tanzania at UN Arusha Bagamoyo Caves Chumbe Island Dar es Salaam Eco Action Plan Explorer's Club Fashion Shows Imax Part 1 Imax Part2 Kilimanjaro Marathon Moshii Selous Stone Town TTB visits USA Walking Safaris Wildlife Women in Tourism Zanzibar Travel Services Emerson & Green E Unoto Maasai Village Kilimanjaro Airport Kilimanjaro Hotel Tanzania Adventure Tanzania Tour Operators Zanzibar Tour Operators

Kilimanjaro International: Africa's first fully privatized airport Africa Travel Magazine's editors look forward to a return to Kilimanjaro to greet first dawn of the New Millennium from Africa's tallest mountain. It's all part of a special tour sponsored by the Tanzania Tourist Board and supported enthusiastically by this magazine. At his very first sight of Kilimanjaro International Airport from the Alliance Air jet, and later at the ATA Tourism Marketing Congress in Arusha, Editor Jerry W. Bird commented that this airport was a place of destiny and opportunity. How true his intuition proved to be, when a news release arrived from London six months later. As we learned by our travels in Tanzania, and several safari experiences, it Is the nearest international airport to the Serengeti and Ngorogoro wildlife reserves. The stage is set for major land development by Mott Macdonald, a £220 million independent development and engineering consultancy working in over 100 countries World-Wide. Its track record in transport ranges from the Channel Tunnel and London's Heathrow Express rail link to Hong Kong's famous Tsing Ma Bridge and new airport terminal. The firm's airport portfolio also includes design, operational and financial planning of over 50 airports around the world, recently including South Africa's airports in Durban and Cape Town, Toronto's new terminal expansion, Bulgaria's Bourgas airport and TNT's super hub at Lewige. Most of the staff employed by KADCO will be Tanzanians who will undergo a comprehensive training and skills upgrading by the small number of experienced expatriates brought in to assist startup and manage operations during the initial phases. Mott MacDonald Group, St. Anne House, Wellesley Road, Croydon CR 9 2 UL, United Kingdom. Kilimanjaro International Airport is strategically placed to help boost tourism in undeveloped regions of northern Tanzania. It already offers a scheduled service from London's Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol. The airport's 10, 900 hectares of real estate and surrounding land is part of a large, ongoing development. East African Tourism to reap huge reward In late 1998, Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) began a 25 year concession to operate Tanzania's Kilimanjaro international airport in a public/private sector joint venture with the Tanzanian Government. This paves the way for much-needed investment in the facility at Kilimanjaro, creating Africa's first fully privatized international airport. Airport management is being provided by Schiphol and operations management by UK CAA International Services, while Mott MacDonald is fulfilling the role of airport general manager and KADCO director. Their first task is to modernize the existing airport facility to bring it up to international standards. This will entail upgrading of safety systems and equipment, staff training, setting up of modern management systems and the long overdue refurbishment of terminal facilities. At the same time KADCO will launch a marketing campaign aimed at developing the airport's tourism potential. More to come. Associate Editor/ Publisher Muguette Goufrani is producing a special "Air Safaris Section" for the ATA 2000 Congress in Addis Ababa. If you have items on this topic, fax them to Muguette at 604-681-6595 or e-mail airhwy@dowco.com   [Home] [Top of page]

home a ads a airfares a e-mail a events a fashion a food a hotels a map a news a subscribe a usa-canada