Airports passenger movements up

PASSENGER traffic through the four international airports has continued to increase, posting five percent in the first quarter of this year due to increased activity in the country, Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) has said.

ZACL communications and brand manager Mweembe Sikaulu said a total of 369,707 general passenger movements were recorded compared to 351,942 recorded during the same quarter last year.

International passengers grew by 5.7 percent largely due to the continued good performance at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport and Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA).

“Recorded growth at the two airports was 32.8 percent and 3.9 percent respectively for Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula and KKIA. The growth in international passenger movements can be attributed to increased activities in both Livingstone and Lusaka,” Ms Sikaulu said on Thursday during a media tour of expansion works at KK International Airport.

On domestic passenger movements, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport and KKIA recorded positive growth of 2.3 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.

“The actual performance at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula and KKIA was 50,349 and 262,924 respectively, resulting in a general growth of 27.8 percent and 3.9 percent when compared to the first quarter of 2016. Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula continues to perform exceptionally with the growth expected to further improve as we start the tourist peak season,” she said.

She attributed the performance to increased activities in Livingstone and Lusaka such as the 57th Airports Council International Africa Region, which attracted over 250 passengers, as well as the New Partner Orientation Group from America with a total number of 600 passengers.

This was complemented by smaller tourist groups such as the Talc Group and other locally-organised meetings.

KKIA as the largest gateway in the country carried 71 percent of total general passenger movements in the first quarter of 2017 while Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airports performed second and third respectively, carrying 14.6 percent and 13.6 percent of total passengers.

However, Mfuwe International Airport carried less than one percent of the total traffic.