JUST 20 kilometres outside Victoria Falls city lies a giant, glassy facility whose artistry will surely attract the attention of any eye.
The structure along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway, exudes unparalleled beauty day and night.
This is the Victoria Falls International Airport whose upgrade started on April 13, 2013 with a ground breaking ceremony, as Government embarked on the massive project through a US$150 million line of credit from China Exim Bank.
The expansion work comprised of transforming the old terminal building into a a new international terminal, new fire station, new control tower and installation of state–of–the art aviation specialist equipment.
The international airport has a new 4km by 60m wide runway which can accommodate wide bodied aircraft such as B747, B777, Airbus A340 and A380 as well as 1,5 million passengers annually.
Before the upgrade, South African Airways and British Airways were the only sub-continental airlines that were landing at the facility, while Air Zimbabwe and Air Namibia connected the region.
The number of inter-continental airlines has increased while intra Africa connectivity has been expanded.
According to aviation experts, Victoria Falls International Airport is a huge enabler for tourism recovery post Covid-19 in Zimbabwe.
The city is regaining its status as an international leisure hub leveraging on the upgraded airport whose state-of-the-art equipment has proven to be a drawcard for tourism, allowing night landing.
After coming into power, the Second Republic, through the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) embarked on expansion projects for all airports and ports of entry into the country, and work is underway at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport in Bulawayo as well as others around the country.
Victoria Falls became a city in 2019 and has potential to transform and steer growth in the country’s economy by attracting more tourists through the new look airport.
In separate interviews yesterday, tourism executives said the airport facility had not only improved the image of destination Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe, but had rubberstamped the resort city as a hub for the region, attracted more airlines, increased tourism traffic and expanded the accommodation and leisure industry.
Mr Wengayi Nhau, the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe (TBCZ) president, said Zimbabwe is beginning to realise the fruits of the expansion of the airport.
“Airport development is a medium to long term project in terms of realising its benefits. We are now beginning to see the benefits. The result and effect of expansion of the airport was that the South African Airways increased capacity from a 150-seater aircraft to an A330 airbus and now we have Eurowings Discover airbus.
“That would not have happened if we had not upgraded our airport. Going forward, there is going to be more activity and we can ultimately develop Victoria Falls to become a regional hub,” said Mr Nhau.
He said the airport facility is the biggest in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area in terms of the runway size and capacity relating to passengers.
“If you look at South Africa, Johannesburg is largely a business destination while Cape Town is more of leisure destination. So, Victoria Falls is our Cape Town while Harare handles business tourists, and Bulawayo business and exports. In short, Victoria Falls is going to be the leisure hub,” said Mr Nhau.
The resort city is connected to the region through Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia through Ethiopian Airways and Nairobi in Kenya through Kenyan Airways which connects to Cape Town.
Eurowings connects Victora Falls into the region and intercontinental via Windhoek, Namibia to Frankfurt, Germany.
Other airlines that started flying into Victoria Falls after the upgrade are Fastjet, MackAir, AirLink, and other private operators.
There were also a number of hotels and eateries that came on board, as well as new activities that were introduced after the expansion of the airport, leveraging on its impact.
President of the Employers Association for the Tourism and Safari Operators, Mr Clement Mukwasi sad Victoria Falls is now ranked as the gateway into Zimbabwe because of the airport.
“The facility has changed the face of Victoria Falls and country. In the past, we relied on the RG Mugabe International Airport for bigger airlines, but the redesign of the Victora Falls Airport led to new and bigger aircraft coming and we have seen an increase in Africa to Africa travel and trade,” said Mr Mukwasi.
He said there should be deliberate moves to engage the aviation sector to re-route some airlines to fly directly into Victoria Falls instead of going via Oliver Tambo International Airport in South Africa.
Mr Mukwasi said the giant airport has also helped open new European markets like Turkey.
“These developments are not only helping with passenger carriage, but also with cargo. The industry imports bulk food for the Asian clients and it is now easier for those things to be brought in as the trade area has been widened.
“Our image has been boosted and Victoria Falls is now ranked as the gateway into Zimbabwe while also contributing to the economic development agenda of the Government,” said Mr Mukwasi.
Even residents have realised benefits through job opportunities.
“It’s unfortunate that when we were beginning to enjoy the fruits we were hit by Covid-19, but the upgrading of the facility meant new employment opportunities for locals as hotels got clients, that’s an indirect benefit from the upgrade,” said Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association chair Mr Kelvin Moyo.
ACZ chief executive Mr Tawanda Gusha recently said the parastatal was seized with a series of engagements with various airlines who want to fly into Zimbabwe, particularly Victoria Falls. – The Chronicle
