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THE Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) has lined up multi-million dollar upgrade of airports across the country to almost double the existing annual passenger handling capacity, an official said on Friday.

The eight main airports in the country have a handling capacity of close to six million passengers annually, with Robert Gabriel Mugabe International being the biggest at 2,5 million passengers per year.

CAAZ acting general manager Mr Tawanda Gusha told journalists plans to upgrade the airports were at different stages of negotiation with various partners.

The upgrades will cost over $300 million.

“For RGM International we are in the final planning stages. A loan was secured from the China Exim-Bank,” he said.

“We want to expand the airports handling capacity from 2,5 million passengers per annum to six million.”

Mr Gusha said a new, stand alone VVIP complex as well as a cargo handling terminal would be constructed at the RGM airport at a cost of around $150 million.

He said Bulawayo and Victoria Falls airports which were recently upgraded, with new terminal buildings commissioned, still required more infrastructure to make them world class, while around $120 million was required for the rehabilitation of Buffalo Range Airport in Chiredzi.

CAAZ was also on the hunt for investors to put up a terminal at Charles Prince Airport in Harare, which was currently only servicing private charter planes at the moment, he said.

Other airports in need of expansion and rehabilitation included Hwange and Kariba which have a combined passenger handling capacity of 200 000 per year.

The expansion would augur well with the anticipated increase in tourist visits at a time CAAZ said two more airlines, Air Tanzania and Pro-Flight of Zambia had firm plans to introduce flights to Harare.

The new flights would directly link Harare with Dar es Salaam and Lusaka respectively.

Mr Gusha said the Government was in talks with Algeria, Tunisia, France, Italy and Chile for Bilateral Air Service Agreements that would allow Zimbabwe to establish flight links with those countries.

“This is in line with the re-engagement that the Government is pursuing,” he said. — New Ziana