Africa-Press – Botswana. Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) has engaged JS Planning and Design Studio to conduct a feasibility study for the development of Maun International Airport considering a 25-year outlook.
The study is conducted to guide the authority’s planning for future growth particularly in terms of expanding and upgrading aviation services in Maun.
Through the years, Maun airport has attracted a substantial amount of passenger movement within the country’s aviation space and as such, through the study, the authority wishes to explore strategies that will accommodate rapidly increasing interest from international carriers while also reinforcing the airport as a driver of economic growth and development in the North West region.
CAAB director of Airport Engineering and Maintenance, Mr Christopher Diswai told a stakeholder engagement meeting in Maun on Monday that the feasibility study focused on airport development specifically for Maun.
Currently, he said the airport was congested hence the need to expand and ‘the question is do we continue investing in the facility where it is or do we look for alternative areas around Maun catchment area. So with the study, we are looking for an informed research based approach to help in decision making’, he added.
He said they were looking at global and local trends to decide on whether to relocate the airport and start afresh or to have two airports but pinned his hope on the study to provide an informed decision.
Mr Diswai said the consultants were at a stage of stakeholder engagement to solicit their ideas and suggestion so that at the end they could produce a sound product that would guide the authority.
Furthermore, he said the authority was working closely with stakeholders to improve aviation sector in the country citing the likes of Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana Investment Trade Centre and Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana among others saying together, they were pushing to see Maun as future aviation hub by virtue of being a tourism destination of choice.
The project manager from JS Panning, Mr Tshepo Sitale confirmed that they were looking at a 25-year plan noting that they started early this year and expected to complete the project by August.
He anticipated that they would complete before the agreed time saying they tend to submit the final product by July considering that they ‘have completed stages of 1-3, which entailed inception of the project, civil aviation assessment and outlook as well as the status quo evaluation of the airport and currently we [they] are in stage 4 of stakeholder engagement to solicit diverse ideas, challenges, advice and suggestion for the success of the study,’ he added.
He appreciated that stakeholders were crucial players who could provide guidance and urged them to share best practices in their area of expertise as it could help to direct on whether the airport could be relocated or expanded.
Mr Sitale also acknowledged that the project came at an opportune time as the Maun Development Plan 2023-2043 had been approved saying the plan aimed to position Maun as world class destination with diversified tourism activities.
The plan sets out a spatial vision which outlines development priorities in Maun and how the needs of residents, investors and visitors would be met in a sustainable manner.
The gathering also learnt that the National Spatial Plan of 2036 had proposed that Maun should be developed as the third city after Gaborone and Francistown as well as an ecological city.
“I think it is imperative that all other sectors of the economy in Maun need to re-align with the plan and what CAAB is doing is a commendable move as it is conducting a feasibility study focusing on a 25-year outlook, which looks at the current climate in business and aviation industry post COVID-19.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
