BOTSWANA: Plans To Develop Maun Airport Underway.

The Civil Aviation Authority Botswana (CAAB) who owns and manages all airports in Botswana has announced that plans to develop the Maun Airport are underway.

CAAB Chief Public Affairs Manager, Modipe Nkwe revealed in a statement that, currently work is at the design stage and it is anticipated that the new Maun International Airport will be complete by 2021.

“To manage congestion in the interim, plans have been finalised to erect a new Arrivals Terminal to be in place before the 2017 Peak Season. The terminal has been designed and is of a size to ensure swift and efficient movement of passengers through the arrivals process,” he said.

Further, by introducing a new arrivals terminal, space is freed up in the current terminal building allowing for the size of both the domestic and international departure halls to be increased for swift and comfortable movement through the departure process.

It is envisioned that the new Maun Airport and terminal building will portray the uniqueness of the destination it serves – the gateway to the 1000th World Heritage, the Okavango Delta.

This comes at a time when stakeholders have raised concerns about the status of Botswana’s airports citing them as unattractive to investors. The Minister of Environment Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama has also not spared his sentiments on the airports.

He described the country’s airports as disastrous, citing that the neighbouring countries are at par; and giving Zambia as an example that it is busy upgrading its airport to a better standard that is attractive to the tourists and investors; and so should Botswana.