BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes
ALL international airports will be fully operational by end of this month, a development that will help revive the economy and steer growth as Zambia continues to battle the outbreak of Covid-19.
In March, President Lungu suspended international flights to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
He, however, directed the immediate re-opening of international airports last month with the hope that the move will revive the economy and steer growth.
Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) is currently fully operational while Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula is expected to start full operations by end of this week, says Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Director General, Gabriel Lesa.
“Kenneth Kaunda is very fully operations and Harry MwaangaNkumbula should be ready by the end of is week. The one which will take a bit of sometime is the one in Ndola, Simon Mwansa Kapwepweand Nfuwe,” Mr Lesa said in an interview yesterday.
Mr Lesa explained that Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe and Mfuwe had taken longer to be fully operational because Government had to procure items needed to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
He expressed optimism that the reopening of the airports would help to revive the economy as the aviation sector was an up stream industry.
Mr Lesa explained that the aviation industry supported other economic sectors such as the agriculture and tourism.
“We are talking about all of them being fully open by the end of this month because we expect Ndola also to on line. Because of the infrastructure issues like the Covid-19 measures that have to be put, some things needed to be procured.
“This is important because we are an upstream sector, we have a lot of downstream sector that depends on aviation such as tourism, agriculture and all. So the opening up will help restarting the economy, our economy is also being hit by this Covid-19,” he said.
