Crisis control at Hosea

Should urgent measures to deal with the ongoing passenger congestion at Hosea Kutako International Airport not be implemented, the dilapidated runway at Eros Airport will also not be upgraded.

An extensive plan to temporarily deal with the congestion at Hosea Kutako will cost about N$230 million and involve extensions at the current airport terminal. This will include the check-in hall, security screening points, the arrival hall and luggage-handling areas.

However, these measures will only be viable for five years after which a new airport terminal will need to be constructed, including a runway and a taxiway.

This will cost between N$4 and N$5 billion.

Albertus Aochamub, acting CEO of the Namibia Airports Company (NAC), yesterday said that interim measures aimed at eliminating the congestion at Hosea Kutako would be good for only five years.

“Therefore, the planning of a completely new airport needs to start and it needs to be decided whether a new runway is needed.”

He explained that the current terminal building, which was constructed in 1985 to handle 250 000 passengers per year, now handles about a million passengers a year.

According to him passenger volumes at the airport will double within the next ten years and that will mean more pressure on the facilities, with new airlines that are expected to fly to Namibia within the next couple of years.

A study was recently commissioned by the World Bank with regard to the expansion of Hosea Kutako Airport.

This also dealt with the issue of the congestion at the airport and found that it would cost about N$230 million to have a compliant airport for the next five years.

To construct a bigger airport terminal and a runway would cost between N$4 and N$5 billion, said Aochamub.

With regard to the funding of a new airport, several options are being investigated, including a public-private partnership.

Aochamub said the company had advertised for a consultant on eliminating the airport congestion and the bids would close on 22 June. This consultant will develop a roadmap for the interim measures and design a final document for the contractor.

A contractor may in all likelihood be appointed by September next year.

Aochamub said the Procurement Act makes provision for emergency work if lives are at risk. Cabinet has to decide whether this provision can be invoked.

“As we speak we are not in compliance with international best practices and the airport is a serious frustration to passengers,” he said.



“We are counting on the emergency provision in the Procurement Act being granted because that would allow us to work faster. If it is not granted, work would be slower and we would have to follow the steps of the Procurement Act.



“From a safety perspective we are not completely compliant. We have put in temporary measures, but there are lots of risks involved. The congestion at the airport has a bearing on the airport and its licence and international best practices.”



He emphasised that the interim measures to eliminate congestion at Hosea were also essential for Windhoek's Eros Airport.



“Eros is also not compliant and we have significant issues there.”



Regarding concerns about the mixing of general aviation and international passengers at Hosea, he said the line minister had suggested that all domestic passengers should be moved to Eros, but this was not a solution as it would compound the problem.



Although money has been made available in the budget for upgrading the runway at Eros Airport, Aochamub said this could not be done before Hosea was expanded and made compliant.



He explained that if the runway at Eros Airport was upgraded domestic flights landing there would have to be moved to Hosea Kutako and that would put even further pressure on the international airport.



“We have to fix Hosea Kutako first, move all domestic flights there and then fix the Eros runway. We have no other choice.”



With regard to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit that will be conducted at Hosea in November, Aochamub said the organisation completed a mock audit about two weeks ago and several areas were indicated where improvements should be made.



“If improved we will be in good shape.”



One of the issues raised were that domestic and international passengers are mingling at the airport.



Aochamub explained that passengers on domestic flights from hunting lodges, who have not been screened and cleared, come into contact with “sterile” international passengers.

He said the passengers from domestic flights could be carrying firearms or wildlife products and hand them over to passengers on international flights.

It was further explained that according to international requirements passengers should reach and clear the terminal within 45 minutes of disembarking. At Hosea it currently exceeds two hours.

Expansion plans include 12 extra check-in points in the departures section, for a total of 26. Eight security control positions will be added to the existing two, and three extra passport control positions will be added to bring the total to seven.

Twenty passport control positions will be added at arrivals, for a total of 30. One luggage claim section will be added and two control positions will also be added.





ELLANIE SMIT