Tanzania expands main airport to boost passenger capacity

A new terminal building at Dar es Salaam’s main airport will open in June 2019 after funding delays were resolved, the Tanzanian prime minister’s office said on Friday.

The project, which will cost more than 250 million euro ($300 million) suffered a long delay after President John Magufuli ordered an investigation in February last year due into project costs and construction schedules.

Once completed, the terminal will add 24 parking bays for large aircraft and boost annual passenger-handling capacity to 6 million from 2.5 million, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

Airlines that use Tanzania’s main airport include KLM, Emirates, Swiss International Air Lines, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

Tanzania relies on the relatively more developed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya to receive some of its tourists because some major airlines, including British Airways, do not fly to its airports.

Tourism is the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner, fetching $2.3 billion last year.