MORE WORK TO BE DONE AT KIGALIS KAMEMBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
It was learned overnight that additional work worth some 15 million US Dollars will commence in October this year at Kamembe International Airport in Kigali. Growing passenger numbers, as a result of the network and fleet expansion by RwandAir and the operation of additional flights by a number of other airlines, resulted in full utilization of existing check in counters and other facilities, and with the new Bugesera International Airport still a few years away, extra investments were needed to upgrade and within the physical limits expand the present airport. The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority has also reportedly dedicated some of the funds towards the introduction of the latest scanner technology for baggage and passengers which will replace older models. Here it is hoped that BOTH entrance check facilities will in the future be used, at all times across the day, to reduce the queues of passengers, often reaching into the outside parking area and not out of misguided rationalization as it has been put to this correspondent during past visits to the airport, only using one of the available scanners.
Some funds perhaps would also be wisely spent to once again upgrade the attitude of those manning the check points as complaints about less than expected levels of professional conduct and in particular customer friendly behaviour seem to still persist to this day inspite of a spirited narrative of outright bad behaviour by some officials a while ago. In fairness, only one in three recent experiences was on the downside, showing that someone had picked up on the complaints but one in three negative hits is still an unacceptable situation when this is the last experience of Rwanda a traveler is taking home, often then souring an otherwise overwhelmingly positive impression from the many encounters with Rwandans across the country.
Targeted in three phases the workscope is expected to include the congested departure lounge, the baggage claim and arrival areas. Traffic through the airport has in recent years grown by at least 15 percent annually, spurred by growing arrival numbers of tourists coming to see the countrys national parks and natural beauty and a constant stream of business and trade visitors from the region and beyond, wanting to exploit the stable political environment by opening up new markets. For more tourism information about Rwanda visit www.rwandatourism.com or check out www.rwandair.com. Welcome to the Land of a Thousand Hills.
