SSKIA expansion delayed, misses World Cup deadline

Staff Writer | Friday January 15, 2010 00:00

 

The project, the result of a fast-track tender system won by SinoHydro last year, was scheduled to be complete by May 11, 2010, in time for the FIFA World Cup which kicks off in South Africa on June 11. The contractors were given 23 months to complete the project, starting on June 10, 2008.

It consists of the construction of a new state-of-the-art terminal building and the extension of the existing runway compliant with the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) requirements. A two-phase project, the expansion will see the construction of the new terminal on a separate site between the existing terminal and the aircraft apron and the construction of extensions to the main car park. The second phase will involve the construction of a new building on the site of the existing terminal building and further work on the new separate terminal that will include car parks and aircraft parking aprons.On completion, it is expected that the terminal will be capable of processing up to 900 passengers per hour, while the runway which is to be extended by a kilometer, will be capable of hosting large aircraft such as jumbo jets. The new airport will also have a new parallel asphalt taxiway running for four kilometers and 33 additional hangar plots.

This week, however, authoritative sources said the government's tight deadline for the project has been torn asunder by a combination of factors, some dating back to last year. The sources said Phase One, which was due to end last November, would now end in March, while Phase Two would be complete around September or October.

Director of (Airport) in the Civic Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB), Sekgele Kolo confirmed the delays in the multi-million Pula project and said they had been the result of unforeseen circumstances.

'One of the factors was the abnormal rainfall that we were not expecting and this contributed greatly to the delay in completion. Another big factor was the discovery of underground shallow water.'There was drilling done before the project started and water was not found, but during construction, it was discovered that there was shallow underground water,' said Kolo.

He revealed that the issue of the underground water was a grey area, as the contractor's original tender did not include provision for the pumping out of underground water. Asked whether the delays have not pushed up the original P433 million budget, Kolo said at present, costs have remained the same.'So far there are no changes in the cost of the project. We have not received any indication about the cost implications.

Since the pumping out of underground water was not in the tender, the principal may have to compensate the contractor for that, but there has been no indication thus far.'The contractor may pump it out, then say pay me. We would also have to see whether this delay could not have been catered for at a later stage,' said Kolo.

This week, players in the tourism industry expressed shock about the delay in completing the airport's expansion. The operators said the delay would reek havoc with the anticipated deluge of international fans flying in and out of Botswana around the World Cup.

'There is high interest among football fans who hope to travel to see the Okavango and other areas, before going to South Africa. Tapping into this business is made more difficult by the fact that the one and only international airport is under heavy construction.'In addition, it is doubtful that the present terminal could handle the volumes we are expecting to see leading up to June. It's a tragic comedy in planning and preparedness,' said a local travel agent.

Flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg to Maun Airport around the World Cup are reportedly fully booked, placing pressure on the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Tourism operators would have hoped some fans could connect through SSKIA from Maun or Kasane to Cape Town, Johannesburg and other South African cities.However, the CAAB's Director (Airport) said there would be minimal disruption to travellers around the World Cup period at SSKIA. 'The part that is behind schedule is the commercial area for shops and other businesses. The passenger processing area will be ready by the time the World Cup comes around.

'In addition, it's normal that operations continue while construction is underway; construction usually takes place while commercial activities are going on,' he said.Last year, former Works and Transport Minister, Johnnie Swartz stressed the importance of finalising the airport prior to the World Cup, during his visit to the project site. During that visit, contractors and consultants had raised fears about the time allocated for the project, but expressed confidence that it could be done within time and cost.