DODOMA AIRPORT DOUBLES AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS

Aircraft using the newly renovated Dodoma Airport has doubled as a result of government shifting to the capital city, making the region’s aerodrome to the list of top ten.

Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA) annual report for 2017 released recently showed that airport’s aircraft movements went up by 49.1 per cent from 2,682 planes in 2016 to 4,004 aircraft.

TAA statistics showed on average the airport, regarded as the domestic entry point in aviation language, 333 aircraft landed and took off from Dodoma per month.

April and May had registered a huge number of aeroplanes that landed and took off at Dodoma Airport.

In April 423 planes recorded while in May 435 aircraft used the airport. Statistics showed that January was the lowest month to register aircraft movements as the airport received 184 planes only.

It was followed by July at 298 movements. In other words, the Dodoma Airport was number six on the top ten list for the government airports with a high number of aircraft movements.

If Kilimanjaro International Airport is factored in Dodoma was on number six. KIA is not operated by TAA.

The list showed the first is Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) with 74,286 movements, Arusha Airport 23,392, Mwanza 13,095 and Lake Manyara 7,448.

Others were Tanga 4,681 then Dodoma 4,004 followed by Mafia 3,642 and Bukoba 2,302. The last two on top ten lists were Songwe 1,959 and Musoma 1,838.

TAA statistics showed that Iringa Airport was ranked number eleven with 1,808, plane movements per year, followed by Tabora 1,572, Kigoma 1,192 and Moshi Airport 1,006.

Others in the top 20 lists were Mtwara (972), Loliondo (606), Morogoro (480), Songea (452), Kahama (388) and Kasulu (310). TAA figures showed in total aircraft movements increased to 146,241 in 2017 from 145,643 in 2016.

However, 23 aerodromes received no aircraft movement at all last year.

Tanzania mainland has 56 aerodromes where two are international airports, nine domestic entry airports, 15 non-domestic entry airports and 30 airstrips.

Daily News