Government is on course to modernise Zimbabwean aviation infrastructure and this includes the upgrading of Charles Prince Airport into an international airport.
The airport was developed from one of the three small Harare airports built near the beginning of the Second World War as part of the huge Royal Air Force training establishment in the country. It included a major air base near Gweru and three training facilities in Bulawayo.
Charles Hilton Prince, whom the airport is named after, was a civil servant who had started helping to pioneer civil aviation in 1937 and spent much of the second half of his career at the small airport from 1958, as it opened as a civil airport. He was the first airport manager, also doubling as the first civil air traffic controller.
The Minister toured the state-of-the-art VVIP pavilion at the airport in Harare which is now 85 percent complete.
In an interview, Minister Mhona said there was a need to have a solid, robust, and vibrant infrastructure in place to promote the ease of doing business, making travelling easier for the people.
“Let me hasten to thank His Excellency Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, our visionary leader, as you have seen today the wonderful works that have been demonstrated on this particular project where we are witnessing the completion of the VVIP pavilion. As I indicated to my team we want this infrastructure project to be completed by the 30th of June.
“The idea behind is to demonstrate to the outside world that, yes, we are under very punitive illegal sanctions but for Zimbabweans, it resonates well with the mantra of His Excellency, ‘kuti Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’, using our own resources, precisely, this is what we are doing,” he said.
He said there will be a guard of honour and a parade square at the pavilion which will accommodate Heads of State.
“We are showcasing this to the people of Zimbabwe to say, the infrastructure that we have, it is our infrastructure. Yes, SADC (Summit) is coming but above that, we need solid, robust, vibrant infrastructure in place so that we promote the ease of doing business, you know it’s an economic enabler so that we make travelling easier for our people,” he said.
On meeting with Mr Song, Minister Mhona said he landed in this country for the first time through Victoria Falls where he also appreciated the Victoria Falls Airport.
Mr Song said he had come to Zimbabwe to see progress on the airports that they have worked on.
He said he will make sure that they meet the target of completing the works on the VVIP pavilion by June and that he was satisfied with the progress made so far.
Airports Development Manager, Engineer Shamiso Makova also said, “The VVIP pavilion is now around 85 percent complete and we are hoping that by the end of June, we should be done. The main structure is now complete and done.”
She said electricity has also been connected to the facility and they will be receiving more equipment anytime soon to be installed in the VVIP pavilion.
Airport infrastructure development is one of the top priorities in facilitating the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe and globally.
The RGM International Airport has gone through a significant transformation for US$153 million to enhance its passenger handling capacity.
The airport will become a regional aviation hub able to handle about 6 million passengers annually, from the present 2,5 million.
Source Herald news
