Mutharika visits new Mzuzu International Airport site
Construction works for the new Mzuzu International Airport are scheduled to start in November this year to the tune of U$20 million (approximately K14.6 billion) funded by the Exim Bank of China.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Francis Chinsinga disclosed this on Thursday when President Arthur Peter Mutharika visited the site at Lusangazi.
The site is 10.5 kilometres from Mzuzu Central Business District (CBD) and about three kilometres from Lusangazi Roadblock to the west.
Chinsinga told the President that the total size of the land earmarked for the airport is 230 hectares; but for a start, about 90 hectares of land will be used.
“This piece of land (90 hectares) is enough for two runway lines of about two kilometres long and with associated structures such as the terminal and some buildings comprising the VIP departure and arriving lounge,” he said.
Chinsinga said after using the 90 hectares of the land, the remaining part will be used for the extension of the airport in the near future so that it also accommodates big aircrafts.
He said once completed the Mzuzu International Airport will boost the tourism industry in the northern region, especially, Nyika National Park and Likoma Island.
“If all is done and well managed, the construction works will take 18 months to complete.
“We are looking at an airport slightly smaller than Chileka Airport in terms of structures, but this airport will be able to accommodate aircrafts of 70 passengers on board,” he said.
Speaking in a separate interview, Inkosi Mpherembe of Mzimba thanked government for the project saying it will open up Mzuzu City in terms of development.
Mpherembe said as Mzuzu is growing very fast, there is need for the city to have a reliable modern international airport which will not only beautify the city but also attract tourists in the region.
“We are so thankful to the government, this is what we call development, and what we were looking for,” he said.
Government wants to construct the new airport since the current one is situated parallel to the Mzuzu-Karonga M1 Road and close to a residential area.
Some investors in the city have been failing to construct multi-storey buildings in the city because of the airport which is close to the central business district.
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Plan big, build a big airport for both military and commercial use. Well, this airport has been in the planning since the Dr. Banda days. Successors of Dr.Banda, Muluzi, Bingu, Banda and Mutharika had all previewed the initial plans and site of the airport. Each presidents planned to build something, airport or/and paper factory or roads.
We know what happened. The airport grounds in the North became a press tobacco farm, thank you but no thank you Dr. Banda. Under the same Banda, Chikangawa was supposed to feed the paper mill sponsored by Germany, sadly, yet to be built. Talk-talk-talk-talk and still talking!
For the successors of Dr. Banda, we have deforestation of Chikangawa forest reserves. to show for the paper factory. No paper factory still and no Chikangawa forest. Democracy but dictatorship of resource use – deforestation.
What about the cost of all the planning, presidential trips, and budgeting, not to mention the time spent on this old airport chorus or the so called paper factory? The money supposedly got donated but no one knows where it ended up – stolen. The money will be stolen for this airport. This is a chance to build an international standard airport as a back up for Chileka and Kamuzu International airports. International airlines will see the advantage of landing tourist at the edges of Nyika. Think Big or else lose Chikangawa forest.
The plans for the airport predate the cost of the most ambitious and most useful project; the Nsanje Inland port. The port is operational, right? No. Yeah, President Peter Mutharika, didn’t you and former president Bingu plan for the Nsanje Inland Port and its operation? How is this airport going to be different?
AIRPORT 200 KM THESE DAYS MR PROFESSOR ??
WHICH DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH WILL
PETER BE REMEMBERED FOR AFTER HIS TERM OF OFFICE ??
TIZANENA IKAZAYAMBA KUGWIRA
NTCHITO
half baked APM developments for the north. The roads have been reduced in size and quality, The Airport will be reduced not only in size, but quality so at least it should not be better than Chileka.
If the runways are about 2kms long then that’s a joke for an international Airport
An airport slightly smaller than Chileka airport. Why build something small when u r planning for the future. Expansion of any existing structure is not easy in Malawi. Why can’t government fund structures in the North as is the case with other regions without securing a loan? Campaign,campaign,camping until when? Let’s wait n c if this project will indeed start in November 2017.
No, no no, an airport slightly smaller than Chileka Airport at this time? That is not forward thinking. The minimum should have been Chileka Airport size. Why is the government planning to keep the North always behind the other regions? This was an opportunity for them to raise the bar, to walk the talk, that they don’t favor the south and central over the north. I call on the chiefs, the church, and the general populace of the north to reject this demeaning plan. After such a long time without a proper airport, Mzuzu and the north deserves a better airport., an Airport that takes Mzuzu to the future. Please think future, prepare for tomorrow, plan and build for the future not the present.
This is pathetic. I don’t know how people in the north think they brag to be intelligent but some someone decides to construct a useless airport smaller than chileka airport, and chief claps hands and thank him. This is shameful. Just look at the airport plans for mangochi. It’s big yet mzuzu is the provincial capital of the country. You pipo think big accept development that will mean something for your children
The airport wont even accommodate any our national flag carrier Malawian airline plane. If you added another 400m, it would accommodate the queen of sky, the famous jumbo jet Boeing 747. Malawians will always over rejoice for something the survey has not been carried out like the so called Nsanje inland port.
DURING THE TIME OF KAMUZU
EACH AND EVERY DISTRICT
HAD AN AIRPORT ( AERODROME) OPERATING FULL
TIME
NOT ONLY DISTRICTS EVEN IN
CHILUMBA THERE WAS AN AIRPORT FIELD IN OPERATION
COME MULTI PARTY POLITICS ALL THESE AIRPORTS HAVE
VANISHED
WHAT WE SEE IS THAT OUR
BEAUTIFUL MOTHER MALAWI
IS SLIDING BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF MOVING FORWARD
EACH AND EVERY MULTIPARTY
COMES PRESIDENT COMES; VISITS THE SITE AND LAYS A
FOUNDATION PILLAR -END OF
STORY NO WORK DONE !!
NGWAZI KAMUZU WAS A MAN !
!
LETS FORGET ABOUT MYP COZ
EVEN THE CURRENT GOVT
HAS ONE THE CADETS !!
BUT DEVELOPMENT WAS ADVANCING EVEN THE HOUSES
GRABBED BY MULTIPARTY LEADERS WERE BUILT BY
KAMUZUS VISION
OUR LEADERS LACK VISION !!
Stop fooling northerners and people in Mzimba particularly. Firstly, the project’s close proximity to the CBD restricts expansion of the city ;being the north’s major economic hub, Mzuzu has to grow into a big metropolitan city. Secondly, you don’t construct an airport with minimum requirement needs but you do so with anticipated growth of business and airlines. This concept resembles construction of roads in cities which projects volume of cars in the future.
Malawian cities look awkward and unplanned because roads were not constructed to accommodate more cars in future. The relevant question will ask why Dr Banda planned to have Kamuzu International Airport constructed about 2 2 kilometers from Lilongwe CBD? The reason is that Malawi’s first president was wise enough to consider the future sprawling of Lilongwe.
The truth is that anything big or well planned is not wanted in the north by these multiparty leaders. Additionally, Mutharika has promised the region several projects with unexplained sources of financing. Mombera University is waiting, Rumphi – Chitipa road via Nyika has become a midnight song, then there is a jetty at Likoma, Livingstonia-Chitipa road, and the list goes on. 2019 is approaching and DPP anchormen will stop at nothing to produce stinging frog noise.
The DPP leadership will fight to its last breath to protect its mediocre rule even if it means parading mythical projects. But northerners must stand firm not to allow these crooks move an inch of their positive judgment. The north has played second fiddle under DPP leadership and the region must change the direction of the tide. Even school going kids from the north are victimized by unsavory educational policies of this uncaring regime. All these projects promised in the north will not see completion even after northerners help Peter Mutharika retain power.
Conclusively, the north deserves big projects and not mini projects. The north, like any other region, deserves a leader who promises out of his true conviction and not a leader who talks and promises in order to seek votes instead of championing development. DPP leadership is not conducive to unity and development.
It means the airport won’t accommodate any of the Malawian airline fleet because they are both plus 70 passengers. Malawians rejoice too fast. That is exactly what they did with the Nsanje Inland Port. They thought the ship that carries cars could come all the way up-to Nsanje hence afford cheap cars not knowing that that ship doesn’t even reach the famous port of Beira. How could it reach Nsanje? Malawians didn’t think about it. Now here we are applauding the toy airport that won’t even accommodate any of our airline plane. If they can add another extra 400m, the airport can land and takeoff the queen of the sky, the famous Jumbo Jet Boeing 747.
THESE ARE THE THINGS
PETER NEEDS TO STRATEGISE
NOW WE KNOW YOUR EYES AND EARS ARE OPEN ENOUGH
AIRPORT
MOMBERA
STADIUM
ARE REAL ISSUES YOU
CAN TALK ABOUT ON
YOUR CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
IN THE NORTH
PEOPLE HAVE JETS NOW
WE WANT TO START AIR
TRANSPORT TO AND FROM MZUZU
PROBLEM IS POOR AIRFIELD
(THERES BUSINESSS POTENTIAL THERE)
IF YOU DO THESE THINGS
IN THE NORTH THE 50 +1 VOTE
IS YOURS
PLUS PLEASE DISCIPLINE YOUR
SG WA JEFFREY TO STOP
TALKING ROUGH