US$1.8 billion is required to upgrade eight airports, Tanzania Airports Authority has said. Some projects are already in progress, but upgrading all will depend on the availability of money from government, foreign donors and the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA). In the coming financial year, US$91.3 million will be allocated to upgrading airports.
Upgrading of the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) will cost US$1 billion and will be undertaken in three phases.
Kigoma and Mtwara airports will be upgraded at a cost of US$ 36.3 milion and US$4.9 million respectively, according to a statement by TAA acting DG George Sambali.
Upgrading Mwanza airport will cost US$78.5 million; Arusha, Tanga and Manyara airports will cost US$49 million each and US$16.2 million will be spent on upgrading Dodoma airport.
The document did not indicate the cost of upgrading Bukoba, Songwe, Mpanda and Mafia airports, nor spending on ongoing projects.
Work on JNIA, Songwe, Kigoma, Dodoma and Mwanza airports has already started.
The TAA’s objective is to increase the number of domestic air travellers to from 4.94 million recorded in 2013 to 18.51 million in 2033 and cargo handling from 28,942 tonnes to 52,272 tonnes.
Sambali says that following the improvement of airports, particularly those located near border regions, new routes will be opened to landlocked countries.
