"Zimbabwe: Airports Collapse"

Monday, August 18, 2003 

Airports Collapse
By Brian Mangwende
Zimbabwe - The Financial Gazette (Harare)


Harare - ZIMBABWE'S aviation standards have plumbed to new depths, with the
country's premier Harare International Airport's runway now reportedly unfit
for landing by the world's major airlines, giving another twist to the
screws on the faltering tourism sector currently laden with gloom and doom.

This development, which has forced leading international airlines to abandon
Zimbabwe, has prompted the cash-strapped government to issue a directive to
the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) to expeditiously upgrade the
dilapidated infrastructure to meet international standards at a cost of $11
billion. There are however heightened fears that the hurried project could
come unstuck due to prohibitive costs.

Harare International Airport, the biggest and most developed of all airports
around the country, was constructed in 1955 and first used in 1956 but the
runway has never been strengthened or rehabilitated.

Runways have a life span of 25 years, according to international aviation
standards.

Zimbabwe is a signatory to the Chicago Convention of the International
Aviation Organisation (ICAO). As such, it has an international obligation to
meet the standards and recommended practices enshrined in 18 annexes to the
Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Well-placed sources within the aviation industry this week disclosed that
senior aviation officials would travel to the Middle East this month to
mobilise resources and lure technical expertise to undertake the upgrading
exercise as well as canvass Arab airlines to fly to Zimbabwe. The mission
would include CAAZ chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke.

Last year, CAAZ issued a $2.8 billion tender to upgrade the Harare
International Airport, but sources said the tender had been put on hold for
unspecified reasons. Instead, the sources said the CAAZ directorate was now
mulling plans to mobilise capital from indigenous companies for the stalled
project.

The indigenous companies would upgrade the airport on a build-own-transfer
(BOT) basis at an estimated cost of $11 billion. They would own the upgraded
facilities for about 20 years before surrendering them back to the
government.

Apart from the runway, which requires resurfacing to strengthen its capacity
to hold huge carriers such as the Boeing 747, the new Boeing 777 and the
A340 airbus, the airport needs a new airfield ground lighting system and a
complete new approach system.

CAAZ also intends to refurbish the old airport terminal and turn it into a
business centre for revenue generation.

Industry sources said there were problems in attracting carriers from major
tourist source markets such as Gulf, Emirates, Pacific, Virgin, and Atlantic
airlines among others.

Already, Mauritius, Qantas, Air France and Lufthansa, among other major
airlines, heavily dependent on tourist attractions, have pulled out. This
mirrors the accelerated decline in the tourism industry, at one time
Zimbabwe's fastest growing sector.

Charles Samuriwo, the CAAZ board chairman, and Kaseke this week confirmed
work was in progress to upgrade and refurbish all airports in the country
but because of hyperinflation, the projected costs continued to rise to
prohibitive levels.

Both men confirmed plans to travel to the Middle East this month.

"We should bring all stakeholders together with a view to work as a team to
revive the industry," Samuriwo said. "CAAZ cannot go it alone but we will
certainly take the lead in a joint vision to plan the revival of the
industry."

Samuriwo added that the Middle East trip was aimed at luring new players and
mending relations with the old ones who had deserted Zimbabwe.

Other major airports in the country in need of a facelift are Victoria
Falls, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Buffalo Range airports.

Kaseke told The Financial Gazette that work at all airports was already in
progress.

"We're refurbishing and upgrading all airports around the country at various
costs," Kaseke said. "We have a tourist attraction in Zimbabwe which is the
Victoria Falls. Instead of us getting the biggest share of revenue, we're
getting leftovers as most carriers shun our airports because of their
conditions. We're operating as a spoke which is unfair because we're meant
to be the hub of tourism in southern Africa.

"Government wants us to go all out in bringing traffic into the country,"
Kaseke said.

Asked why it had taken so long to undertake such major upgrading and
refurbishment projects, Kaseke merely said: "It was because of the
government policy then."

The Victoria Falls airport currently accommodates 200 000 passengers per
year, but projections are that by the year 2010, the capacity should rise to
1.5 million.

The initial cost for the upgrading of the Victoria Falls terminal building
alone, which is already underway, was $3.7 billion last year but has been
revised upwards to a staggering $51 billion due to skyrocketing inflation.

So far CAAZ has spent $250 million on enabling works at that airport.
Victoria Falls is the hub of tourist activities, boasting one of the world's
seven wonders.

The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo airport, based in the country's second largest city
Bulawayo, has no basic facilities. International and domestic traffic are
mixing, creating problems for customs and immigration officials.

It has a capacity to handle 120 000 people per annum but is currently
handling 200 000. In 1997, traffic was pegged at 300 000 people but dropped
to 120 000 because of political and economic instability in the country.

Buffalo Range, which can cater for a Boeing 737, needs refurbishment of the
terminal and an extension of the runway. A tender is to be issued in
September and work is expected to be complete sometime next year.

Zimbabwe's aviation industry is still fighting to redeem itself from its
condemnation by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in November
1994.

That year, the FAA found the government of Zimbabwe's civil aviation
standards not to be in compliance with international aviation safety
standards for oversight of the country's air carrier operations.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************