23/08/2011 | C. Martin
Tanzania has unveiled a modernisation drive of its regional airports in a new initiative that is set to begin late this year.
A total of $67.5 million will be spent to expand the infrastructure and facilities of 10 regional airports in the country.
The development of Julius Nyerere International Airport will also form part of the project. It will be developed to to handle seven million passengers a year.
The airport, which currently has the facility to handle 11 aircraft an hour, will have the infrastructure to take care of more than 30 planes in an hour once the project is completed by the middle of next year, according to officials.
Backpackers heading off to the country with plans to enjoy their luxury holidays will benefit from the project.
The other airports that are set to be developed under the project include Kigoma and Tabora regions in the westy, Rukwa and Mbeya regions in the southern highland, Mafia district (Coastal), Msalato (Dodoma) Singida, Mwanza (Arusha) and Bukoba (Kagera), said the country's transport minister Omari Nundu.
Copyright Press Association 2011