A billionaire conservationist based in the United States has partnered with the Tanzanian government to build a modern airport close to Serengeti National Park.
Mr. Paul Jones has greatly invested in the tourism as well as conservation of the country and also approved to finance the building of this airport which is going to serve to simplify movement of the tourists who intended to visit this national park.
approximately Tsh50 billion (or $30.8 million) has been put aside for this building of the airport which would as well help reduce the time spent by tourists traveling from the closest airport in the city of Arusha to this national park and then return to Arusha for their Departure flight.
The parliamentary member of this Serengeti Constituency Dr. Kebwe S. Kebwe said that This airport was intended to ease tourists’ movement, that intended to visit the internationally renowned wildlife annual migration, hence increasing the number of local plus international tourists.
He added that there was more to achieve than lose in constructing this airport nearer to the Serengeti national park.
Dr. Kebwe also menetioned that the Tanzanian government together with other interested partners is going to make a public-private partnership to implement the building of the airport.
He further said that they are organizing to begin building the airport this very year in the town of Mugumu situated 20 / 30 kilometers from the renowned Serengeti National Park to simplify the movement of the tourists. And that this airport will be constructed to a mid-sized one to handle even planes with a sitting capacity of as many as 60 passengers.
The building of this airport is targeted at exploiting the chance of local plus international tourists that do not feel comfortable using road transport because of the poor status in which the road leading to the park is in.
The presence of this airport will make it possible for tourist coming from various corners of the world to directly land into Mugumu airport which is just minutes from the wild animals within park
It has been almost one year since the district council of Serengeti allocated land within Uwanja wa Ndege ward in Mugumu town for the building of this airport.
Mr. Fadhili Manongi who is The General Director of Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, declined to comment, stating that he is was not informed of the plan.
Towards the finish of last year it was revealed in the local media that TCAA – Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority sent its specialists to authenticate the plot in which they met the District officials of Serengeti and gave this project a go ahead for the building of the airport.
