The Zambia Airports Corporation Limited – ZACL plans to embark on a number of non-aeronautical revenue generating projects at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport – KKIA which will culminate into an Aerotropolis – Airport City as part of its strategy. These developments are aimed at boosting the corporations revenue generation power.
ZACL has developed a land utilisation plan through the services of a Dutch based Airports development expert consultancy firm, Netherlands Airport Consultants – NACO who recently submitted a finalised plan for 550 acres of land at the airport in Lusaka. An Aerotropolis is a city sub-region whose infrastructure, land use and economy are centered on an airport.
NACO – Netherlands Airport Consultants is part of Royal HaskoningDHV, a world-leading airport consultancy and engineering firm with over 65 years’ experience working in the aviation and air transport industry, they have worked and guided over 600 airports from major landmark designs to smaller regional airports around the world.
ZACL Communications and Brand Manager Mweembe Sikaulu told the Zambian Business Times – ZBT in an exclusive response that the Airport land already has developments underway including a shopping mall, an office park and two hotels, and that ZACL expects the Land Utilisation Plan to compliment and present the corporation with numerous business opportunities that can be explored once completed.
She said the Cargo Terminal will further provide an opportunity for the revival of agriculture and horticulture exports among other industries. This is also another avenue for revenue generation and contribution to national development.
“Consequently, NACO’s work has been varied to cover all the available land within the airport’s precinct. As the Corporation strives to be an aviation leader in the region, the Aerotropolis concept has an airport as the center of the city activity, with all ancillary city functions revolving around the airport itself,” she said.
Mweembe added that with airports becoming ‘cities’, the importance of generating non-aeronautical revenue streams will continue to have a major impact and improve finances. She was responding to a ZBT enquiry on how ZACL will in future be able to generate revenues to pay back the loans that government has invested in the current Airport Infrastructure being built.
ZACL is expected to shoulder the repayment financing for over US$1 billion investments that has been pumped into the upgrade of the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport of about US$360 million, another US$397 million is being invested into the construction of the greenfield Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport for the Copperbelt region and the completed Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone which is said to have gobbled over US$50 million.
