Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Works Steven Malondera has said he will today hold talks with stakeholders towards certification of Mzuzu Airport runway.
He made the remarks yesterday during inspection of the runway, say i ng he has order s f rom President Lazarus Chakwera that the facility should be operational as soon as possible.
The stakeholders to be part of the meeting include Airport Development Limited, Civ i l Aviation Authority and Malawi Airlines.
“I have called for a meeting on Friday. Everyone will be there in one room. The Minister of Transport will be there. Let us sort out this thing with immediate effect,” he said.
Malondera said Ma l awi Government has secured more funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency to add to the K1.4 billion for the Mzuzu Airport rehabilitation project.
Mzuzu City mayor Kondwani Nyasulu hailed the project, saying it will open up doors to tourism growth through places such as Nyika National Park and Vwaza Game Reserve.
He said another project has been authorised to rehabilitate the dilapidated M1 running parallel to the airport to make road travel easy for airport users.
Rehabilitation of Mzuzu Airport runway ended on Monday, a month after Minister of Transport and Public Works Jacob Hara projected the works to finish on February 11 2025.
The contractor concentrated on extending the runway, but no work has been done on the airport’s terminal, which was scheduled for face-lifting.
Malawi Airlines in January announced plans to extend flights to Mzuzu and Karonga in the first half of this year.
The plans mark a significant step towards improving domestic connectivity and boosting economic activity in the Northern Region. But in mid-Februar y, the airline admitted that the delays in the rehabilitation works have affected its plans to extend flights to Mzuzu.
