On Wednesday 2 December, a brand new Victoria Falls International Airport terminal was opened to passengers. Although currently operational, the airport will only be officially opened on Sunday, December 13, 2015.
As more and more tourists visit the world-renowned Victoria Falls every year, the new airport will afford international visitors the added convenience of being able to fly to Victoria Falls direct.
It is expected that over 1 million tourists a year will make use of the new flights into Victoria Falls, as opposed to the 500 000 current annual visitors – a prediction that bodes well for the Zimbabwean tourism industry as a whole.
Underway since 2013, the improvements include expansion of the existing runway, a brand new 4km runway, a new terminal building for international passengers, a car park, fire station and control tower. The face-lift has been funded by a Chinese investor and constructed at a cost of $150 million.
This new runway will be able to accommodate wide-body aircraft such the Boeing 777, Boeing 747 and the Airbus A340. The current runway will be converted into taxiways to service the new infrastructure.
Modernized check-in counters, increased numbers of customs and immigration officials, baggage carousels, car hire and taxi services will be included in the new facility to ensure that the new Victoria Falls Airport is able to offer an efficient service to these visitors. Improvements to the existing shopping space and banking facilities are also on the cards.
Currently, only Air Zimbabwe, Com Air, Air Namibia, South African Airways, Qatar Airways and low cost Fly Africa are making use of, or have signed onto to make us of the Victoria Falls airport, but more airlines are expected to start offering direct flights to Victoria Falls once the facility is up and running and traffic increases.
With the new airport and additional airlines making accessibility to Victoria Falls more affordable than ever before, there is even more reason to experience the genuine hospitality of Victoria Falls’ hotels and friendly people along with the range of exciting activities on offer here.
Image Credits:
@Mhlandeli_Ndlela
@AfricaAlbida
