Tanzania’s Arusha airport, famous for its charter flights for tourists, will resume full operations following a significant Sh6.3 billion upgrade.
One of the nation's oldest facilities is situated on the outskirts of Arusha City. The runway has been extended so that it can accept bigger planes. The main apron was built and renovated as part of the expansion, which was finished for Sh1.9 billion.
The parallel taxiway and distant apron upgrades to asphalt level, where Sh968 million was invested in civil works, are also finished. The parking lot was upgraded by re-carpeting it with a second layer of bitumen, costing an additional Sh640 million.
The Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) oversees, maintains, and runs 59 airports, including Arusha Airport, which is situated along Tanzania’s Dodoma Road.
For scheduled flights, the Group II category facility serves as a "domestic only" airport, and it is the destination of charter flights for travelers and businesspeople.
Colonel Grey, a settler farmer who operated in the Burka and Mateves regions west of the city, constructed it in 1956. Colonel Grey grew coffee and sorghum there. Following independence, the airport was formally turned over to the government in 1961.
TAA was established in 1999 with the purpose to operate and manage all government airports and airstrips on Tanzania's Mainland.
The facility would run around the clock, according to plans revealed by Atupele Mwakibete, the deputy minister for Works and Transport, during a recent visit.
The installation of floodlights along the runway must come before this. The airport only runs for 12 hours each day at the moment. The deputy minister claims that the present development would increase the runway's length to 1,860 meters.