Namibia: Renovation work at Hosea Kutako International Airport edges closer to completion

On Sunday, Namibia Airports Company (NAC) spokesman Dan Kamati announced that rehabilitation work at the nation's flagship airport, Hosea Kutako International Airport, will be finished shortly, providing the nation's tourism business with a different appearance. Hosea Kutako International Airport is Namibia's primary international airport, functioning in Windhoek, the country's capital.

As per Xinhua, Kamati stated that the actual targeted date for the completion of the congestion alleviation initiative is planned for the end of September 2021. The NAC spokesperson also noted that the development at the nation's main airport is done while keeping in mind the fact that it has to match the international standards set by other airport terminals across the globe. He went on to say that the airport extension would help improve the country's image among the visitors at a time when tourism has collapsed due to the COVID pandemic.

According to The Nambian, the airport will have specialised equipment like luggage handling and baggage claiming, which will be approved and operationalised by the end of next month. Kamati also added that the initiative included the extension of terminal amenities for domestic, VIP, and VVIP flights. For this initiative, Nexus Contractors are working on this project in collaboration with other 100% Namibian-maintained sub-contracting and specialised consulting firms.

Additional features of Namibia's main airport

The construction budget is nearly N$95 million, which is provided by the NAC, while the remainder is funded by the treasury of the nation. The initiative has aimed to double the airport's processing capacity in order to meet growing passenger traffic. The processing capacity will include an expansion of 18 check-in desks, an extra five self-service check-in kiosks, an expansion of departure security checkpoint stations, and an enhancement of baggage reclamation facilities.

The Namibian further reports that the proposal also allows for the increase of departure immigration desks from three to seven, as well as an expansion of the departure lounge to handle the rising passenger traffic at the airport. In the case of arrivals, the renovated departure lounge will have more moving area and 17 immigration desks, an increase from the existing eight.

The baggage reclaim hallway will be extended and equipped with three contemporary conveyor belts, bringing the total number of conveyor belts to five. Dan Kamati further added that nearly four airlines have expressed interest in restarting flights to Windhoek.

(Image: Shutterstock)