Africa’s Tanzania is growing in popularity with a number of tourists flocking to this magical land.
In fact, tourist arrivals in 2023 increased by an impressive 24.3% with a record-breaking 1,808,205 visitors, compared to 1,454,920 tourists in 2022.
With the ever-increasing footfall of international visitors, the East African country has commenced the construction of the Msalato International Airport in a bid to help manage and even boost tourist numbers.
The government of Tanzania believes the construction of this intentional airport in Msalato will help the country handle large passenger and cargo aircraft.
Located just seven miles from Tanzania’s capital city, Dodoma, the international airport will cost a whopping £221.5 million ($272 million) and will take four years to complete.
Works kicked off after a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) was secured.
Tanzania’s Minister for Works and Transport, Professor Makame Mbarawa, recently said the Msalato International Airport project is progressing well.
The AfDB detailed that the airport will have the capacity to handle one million passengers annually despite the city only having a population of just over two million people.
Amadou Oumarou, director of AfDB’s Infrastructure and Urban Development Department, added that the new airport will also include a high-speed railway.
Oumarou said both of these constructions will help increase development in Tanzania’s countryside.
Construction of Msalato International Airport will be split into two phases, explained Professor Mbarawa, with the first phase involving the runway, which will stretch 2.2 miles.
The second phase of construction involves the terminal buildings and will include the passenger building, flight control tower, offices, and the firefight department building.
Other infrastructure construction needed for this colossal project will see the building of radar equipment, associated fire-fighting equipment, an aircraft fueling station, a water supply and a distribution system.
Once completed, the new international airport will have one main runway that will measure around 3,600 metres long, and 60 metres wide.
There will also be two taxiways and two parking aprons helping to accommodate the multiple A330 aircrafts simultaneously.
In October 2023, the Tanzanian government said it had finished moving all its administrative functions to Dodoma from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.