Brian Adero
10 May 2008
Nairobi — Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has commissioned a new control tower with a modern air traffic control system at Lokichogio Airport at a cost of Sh114 million.
Transport Minister Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere commissioned the equipment, which is expected to improve provision of air navigation services for the development of Northern Kenya.
Speaking at the launch of the airport on Thursday, Mwakwere said the tower will improve accessibility into Southern Sudan, and also improve safety of Kenya's airspace.
The completion of the control tower reflects the changing times of the Lokichogio airport, which supports relief operations in Southern Sudan.
"This airport has greatly contributed to the success of the relief food operations in Southern Sudan, provision of food in refugees camps, both inside and outside Sudan and evacuation of victims of war," said the minister.
"The Government is committed to opening up the Northern part of Kenya and improve the lives of people in the region. As the situation in Southern Sudan continues to improve and traffic at the airport declines, there is need to ensure that strategies are put in place to ensure sustainability of the airport by replacing relief efforts with commercial cargo, tourists and passenger traffic," added Mwakwere.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
