Ondangwa airport terminal is falling apart
Finance minister Calle Schlettwein has expressed concern over the state of the revamped terminal at Ondangwa Airport.
Just two years after the Chinese constructor Quindao Construction Company completed the N$84 million project, the terminal is in bad shape.
Floor tiles all over the building are peeling off, there are cracked windows in the arrival area and toilets are out of order.
Addressing the northern business community at Ongwediva this month, Schlettwein said the work done at the airport was not good value for money.
When President Hage Geingob inaugurated the new terminal in 2015 he described it as world-class infrastructure which is part of Namibia's plan to become a logistics hub for Southern Africa.
“The Namibian government has replaced the Tender Board with the Procurement Board which, among other responsibilities, will make sure that the quality of the work done equals the money paid. Not like what happened to Ondangwa Airport where tiles are already falling off,” Schlettwein said.
A source at the airport told Namibian Sun that windows in the arrival area of the terminal started developing cracks last year and they are big and visible now.
“Very often we also experience toilet problems and customers have to use facilities at the old terminal building,” the source said.
When the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) was approached for comment, its spokesperson Nankelo Amupadhi said they would respond “in due course”.
In June this year, the NAC board suspended its chief executive, Tamer El-Kallawi, and head of engineering, Courage Silombela, pending an investigation. It did not give details of the alleged transgressions.
At the inauguration of the Ondangwa terminal in 2015 El-Kallawi said Namibia had the potential of becoming an air connection hub and that the NAC was strategically positioning itself to claim this niche market and make it their own. He said NAC was in a sound financial position and intended to capitalise on its strength and aggressively pursue growth in the sector.
“The Ondangwa airport terminal is a world-class, state-of-the-art facility that presents a modern airport that is designed to mirror the culture and way of life of our people,” El-Kallawi said.
ILENI NANDJATO
Just two years after the Chinese constructor Quindao Construction Company completed the N$84 million project, the terminal is in bad shape.
Floor tiles all over the building are peeling off, there are cracked windows in the arrival area and toilets are out of order.
Addressing the northern business community at Ongwediva this month, Schlettwein said the work done at the airport was not good value for money.
When President Hage Geingob inaugurated the new terminal in 2015 he described it as world-class infrastructure which is part of Namibia's plan to become a logistics hub for Southern Africa.
“The Namibian government has replaced the Tender Board with the Procurement Board which, among other responsibilities, will make sure that the quality of the work done equals the money paid. Not like what happened to Ondangwa Airport where tiles are already falling off,” Schlettwein said.
A source at the airport told Namibian Sun that windows in the arrival area of the terminal started developing cracks last year and they are big and visible now.
“Very often we also experience toilet problems and customers have to use facilities at the old terminal building,” the source said.
When the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) was approached for comment, its spokesperson Nankelo Amupadhi said they would respond “in due course”.
In June this year, the NAC board suspended its chief executive, Tamer El-Kallawi, and head of engineering, Courage Silombela, pending an investigation. It did not give details of the alleged transgressions.
At the inauguration of the Ondangwa terminal in 2015 El-Kallawi said Namibia had the potential of becoming an air connection hub and that the NAC was strategically positioning itself to claim this niche market and make it their own. He said NAC was in a sound financial position and intended to capitalise on its strength and aggressively pursue growth in the sector.
“The Ondangwa airport terminal is a world-class, state-of-the-art facility that presents a modern airport that is designed to mirror the culture and way of life of our people,” El-Kallawi said.
ILENI NANDJATO
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