Kilimanjaro International Airport

Constructed 1971, Inaugurated 1972

By the end of 1973 Kenya was the sole remaining tourist destination in East Africa. While the neighboring country of Uganda was still in the throes of military anarchy, Tanzania surprised the world on September 7 by issuing an overnight ban on all Hunting and photographic safaris within its territory. Government authorities moved quickly to seize and impound foreign-registered Land Cruisers, supply trucks, minibuses, aircraft, and equipment.

The stunned collection of safari clients as well as sundry mountain climbers, bird-watchers, and beachcombers who had been visiting the country at the time of the inexplicable edict were summarily escorted to Kilimanjaro airport outside of Arusha to await deportation. The residue of tourists stranded without flights were trucked to the northern town of Namanga where they were left on the dusty roadside to cross into Kenya on foot. All tourist businesses, including the government-owned Tanzania Wildlife Safaris, were closed down. No government refunds were ever made to tourists or to foreign or local safari outfitters

The Tanzanian government has directed closure of Gologonja and Loitoktok entry points to popularize Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) as a gateway.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Juma Ngasongwa told a one-day workshop on integrated tourism masterplan that by so doing the country would generate more money from tourists.

Gologonja and Loitoktok in Mara and Kilimanjaro regions respectively were closed to control flow of tourists into the northern tourists circuit, most of whom drove through from Kenya.

Ngasongwa also proposed a diversity of tourism activities to lessen concentration on wildlife tourism in northern Tanzania.

He cited other potential areas as cultural tourism, historical sites, archeological sites, marine resources and the beaches.

The Minister emphasised the need to explore other areas, arguing that every district had unique tourists attractions, including music, art and the like.

Meanwhile, the Minister reassured the workshop that the government underlined the importance of the tourism sector to the economy of the country, and appreciated the need to invest heavily on it.

He emphasised the need to use modern technology in tourism development strategies given the current global competition. The minister further stressed the improvement of services, professionalism and environmentaly sustainable tourism as permanent considerations.

I take off and fly along the slopes of Kilimanjaro before the clouds appear. Beneath me is the mine where all the Tanzanite comes from. If I ever find a wife, I will design her a ring with Tanzanite. I don't think there is a more beautiful stone in the world. It is sometimes referred to as a 'blue diamond' and the liquid blue stone reflects three different colors - purple, blue, and gray - as the light passes through it. It is much brighter than a sapphire, and it is only found here.

I descend low and follow the lush green forests past Kilimanjaro International Airport. This is one of the places where they could get me. I remember when the wildlife filmmaker, Alan Root, sent me to Kilimanjaro to pick up his plane some years ago. He handed me a fist-full of $100 bills and said in his normal understated way, 'Here, you may need these.' I was deposited at Kilimanjaro Airport and walked over to collect his recently repaired Cessna 180. The men in the office laughed at me. It appeared, I was about $400 short of what was owed. I spent a very long night inside of the plane being eaten by large mosquitoes. When that became too unbearable, I crawled out and lay on the tarmac beneath the plane. Then large rhinoceros shaped beetles would hit me full force in the face as they tried to fly in ground effect towards the bright lights illuminating the apron. The next morning, I was a wreck. It was time for my captors and me to make a deal. I suggested that if we reduced the number of days that the plane had been parked here on the receipt, there would be several hundred dollars left over that would not be accounted for. I think a proposal like this can raise some interest in a land where $2 a day is a good salary. I was soon on my way.

Landing at Kilimanjaro Airport at 21.00 after a long and bumpy flight from Amsterdam. The flight was so bumpy that we even had to fasten seatbelts at one stage in 35.000 ft over the Sahara. We met up with part of our team including Mr. Greyson the prime ministers PR officer in the Arusha and Serengeti aerea and Peter Lindstr�m from Hoopoe, our Arusha based expedition company. Peter reports, that the weather has been completely different from how it should be at this time of the year due to the El Ninjo effect. It has been raining four more than four months now. It is by far the worst weather pattern since 1961! He is quite doubtful, whether we can reach the Ngorongoro conservation area in a few days time due to flooded roads and collapsed bridges. At home we had even heard about crocodiles which had been drowned�

A pilot Sunday averted a tragedy when the rear tyre of an Air Tanzania aircraft with 74 passengers on board burst during take off at the northern Kilimanjaro International Airport.

At least eight passengers were treated for shock, after they were evacuated from emergency exits. The Kilimanjaro police chief was quoted as saying that the incident occurred at 1.20 p.m. (1020 GMT).

He said the pilot managed to stop the plane after one of its tyres burst as it headed for take off. The Boeing 737 was headed for Entebbe, Uganda, via Kigali, Bujumbura.

A British firm that has taken over the running of Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania has won a top consultancy award for its 'groundbreaking project.'

CMS Cameron McKenna and Mott MacDonald took over the running of the airport after two years of protracted negotiations with the Dar-es- Salaam government, for which they received no payment.

Now the company plans to bring the airport up to international standards, with an injection of around Pounds7 million in cash which will be spent improving the existing infrastructure.

The British Consultants Bureau awarded CMS Cameron its 'Consultancy of the Year' award for winning the contract to operate the international airport for 25 years.

The company hopes that within a few years, large numbers of tourists will arrive at Kilimanjaro rather than Nairobi or Dar-es-Salaam because of its proximity to prime tourist sites such as Serengeti, the Ngorongoro crater and Manyara wildlife park as well as Mount Kilimanjaro itself.

The same British company is now bidding for the privatisation of Entebbe airport in Uganda as well as Cyprus main airport.

A celebratory mood was yesterday evident in Arusha town two days ahead of the historic signing of a peace accord crafted to stem bloodshed in the civil war-ravaged Burundi.

World leaders have started jetting into Arusha - whose history is replete with peace-making initiatives.

Former South African leader, Mr. Nelson Mandela, who is facilitating the talks - a task he took over following the death of former Tanzanian President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere - landed at the Arusha International Airport at 9 am.

After an interview with an army of local and international journalists, which has pitched camp in the modest town, Mr. Mandela headed straight to his guest house for talks with the representatives of the 19 parties at the centre of the conflict.

American President Bill Clinton is among the 24 world leaders expected to grace the signing ceremony at the Novotel Mt Meru Hotel.

The town is already swarming with US marines and FBI agents who have taken over security arrangements for the American leader.

President Moi will arrive for the talks and signing ceremony which has captured the world's interest in the same way the post-World War II accord did, tomorrow.

Burundi's President Pierre Buyoya, who is set to hand-over the reigns of power to a transitional government six months after the signing of the agreement, landed here at 1pm.

Those who were expected to arrive later in the day include the host - President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania and Ghanaian leader, Jerry Rawlings.

Key personalities in the ceremony which will take place at the Arusha International Conference Centre include presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Desire Kabila (DRC), Thambo Mbeki (South Africa) and Joachim Chisano (Mozambique).

Mr. Clinton who is attending the talks at the invitation of Mr. Mandela has made it clear that he will support the SA's elder statesman to the hilt in his endeavour during his visit. Mr. Clinton will meet Mr. Mkapa to express US appreciation for the role Tanzania has long played as peace-makers in the region.

A special satelite dish was being flown into Arusha to be used to beam the proceedings of the meeting live by world's TV stations. Six months ago Mr. Clinton made an appearance at one of the major Burundi peace conferences in Arusha, via satellite transmissions from Washington DC.

Mr. Clinton is expected to arrive here today at 3 pm to witness the fall of curtain on the seven-year civil war.

The Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) Limited, has signed an agreement with a Dutch Consortium, led by the Paes Group, on the construction and operation of the soon to be established, Kilimanjaro Airport Hotel.

The official agreement was signed last week at the Moivaro Lodge situated in Moivaro village of Arumeru and was attended by among another guests, Board Director of KADCO, David Mosha, Vincent Paes, the Chairman of the Paes Group and Gijs Raadt, the General Manager of Moivaro Lodge.

According to KADCO�s Managing Director, Godfrey M. Mbakilwa, Mr. Gijs Raadt is going to oversee the airport hotel project.

The hotel project, to be known as 'The KIA Hotel Ltd' will be constructed in three phases, the first which is starting immediately is the setting up of the main hotel building.

This phase will also include the construction of the initial first 40 rooms. The second and third phases will complete the remaining 80 rooms with the phasing set to be market driven.

During the last week�s ceremony, KADCO�s board director, David Mosha signed for his company while Vincent Paes signed for KIA Hotel Ltd.

Mr. Mbakilwa revealed in a recent press statement that both KADCO and KIA Hotel Ltd are very optimistic that the presence of a good hotel at Kilimanjaro Airport will stimulate greater use of the airport thus creating even more business.