Project results
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is one of East Africa’s most popular tourist destinations – with the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro all situated nearby. Kilimanjaro International Airport is driven by international tourism to these iconic sites – serving almost 80% of all tourists visiting Tanzania. But having been built in the 1970s, its ability to accommodate increasing passenger numbers – the airport served over 800,000 passengers in 2014, well beyond its 600,000 capacity – and enable the economic growth of the region had begun to strain.
Understanding the need to rehabilitate their airport, improving infrastructure and optimising the passenger experience for a new era of air travel, KADCO sought NACO’s expertise. Our local presence in Africa means that we can provide world-class, global aviation expertise with the innate understanding of the local context to tailor the solutions and enhance this tourism gateway to East Africa. Our track record of projects on the continent offered valuable insight and in-depth understanding of needs and requirements.
The NACO team came on board at the early stages of the project and worked in close collaboration with the airport throughout the project. Central to revitalising the airport was the need to build and improve upon the existing infrastructure. Our team set out to create an airport masterplan with three core goals:
The masterplan we created not only set out the foundation for upgrading the airport – demonstrating the feasibility of the project to the project funders – but also presented the most sustainable way to enable future development and growth.
With a strong foundation of a comprehensive design and tender documents created by our team, the client requested that we carry out the design review, contract administration and construction supervision of the development.
The result of our work in Kilimanjaro is an airport ready for the aviation of today and tomorrow. As Africa’s aviation sector continues to grow and both domestic and international travel increases, Kilimanjaro International Airport will be ready to welcome passengers and serve as a tourism gateway to Tanzania, East Africa and beyond.