Chileka Airport rehabilitation delays by three years
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works has said the completion of terminal rehabilitation project at Chileka International Airport in the current fiscal year depends on the availability of resources.
The project which the government of Malawi is fully funding started in 2010 and was scheduled to be completed by February 2013.
According to the ministry spokesperson, James Chakwera, about K700 million has been spent on the project thus far.
“The project period has been prolonged due to funding challenges. Our desire is to complete the project by end of this financial year 2015/16 but it would all depend on availability of resources,” Chakwera said.
Mkatha and Dziko Joint Venture is the contractor for the project. The first phase of the project was the rehabilitation of the arrival section of the terminal building which was completed and is being used.
“What is being worked on now, as second phase of the project, is the departure section of the terminal building. So far works on the main structure and roofing have been completed. The ground floor was completed and opened for use. The contractor is now working on the upper floor doing finishing touches and partitioning,” he said.
Apart from terminal rehabilitation project, the government also plans to get a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to the tune of €21million for the upgrading of aviation safety and security equipment at Kamuzu and Chileka international airports.
Chakwera said the total cost of the project is €43 million. The other bit, which is local contribution (as a condition of the loan), will be provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) €9.8 million. The government through the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) will provide €9.6 million while the European Union will contribute €3.4 million,
For the EIB project the contractor is yet to be identified and is expected to run for 18 months from the day it will start.
The other proposed project to extend the terminal building at Kamuzu International Airport will be financed by a grant from the government of Japan through Jica, who will also execute the project.
A vibrant writer who gives a great insight on hot topics and issues
