The expansion of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare has been completed and the revamped facility will be officially opened on July 13.
According to the chronicle.co.zw, while touring the airport, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the completion of the revamp was a sign that the government was taking modernisation and industrialisation seriously.
The government’s airport expansion project, run by Airports Company of Zimbabwe, started in 2018. Now that renovations are complete, Mnangagwa said the airport would compare favourably with other airports in the region as it adhered to international standards that attracted more airlines, passengers and tourists.
The work was done by China Jiangsu International and will see the airport’s capacity grow from one million passengers per year to six million.
It included development of a VIP pavilion, gyms, salons, coffee bars and children’s playing centres. Additionally, two new aprons were constructed to accommodate four air bridges, one of which is in the domestic terminal. This allows the airport to accommodate seven aircraft at a time in the international terminals.
Airports Company of Zimbabwe Chairman Devanda Popatlal said the renovations would provide great opportunities for business in Zimbabwe in line with the country’s mantra, ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’.
“The actual capacity was 1,3 million passengers per year and now we are equipped to handle 6,7 million passengers per year. This will mean international airlines will be encouraged to fly heavy capacity aircraft into Zimbabwe. We already have Qatar and Emirates opening here, which have the carrying capacity of 300 people on each flight,” said Popatlal.
