Lusaka Needs a Modern Airport

Aerial View of Lusaka Intl Airport

Come to think of it, the Lusaka International Airport has been standing and serving world travellers for 44 years. Over the years those of us and many other travellers who have been through the Airport have noticed what one would call cosmetic attempts to improve the way the structure looks. Let us face it, Zambia needs a modern airport to replace the nearly half-century old Lusaka International Airport. 

Intl Airport courtesy by Lusakagossip

Zambians are among the most widely travelled in the Southern Africa region and no one can pretend not to have been exposed to some of the best airport infrastructures in the world. Africa has some beautiful airports such as the Oliver R. Tambo International in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Ethiopia International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, the Dar-es-salaam International Airport in Tanzania just to name a few. These few airport mentioned are no doubt several classes above the Lusaka International Airport. The Zambian leadership are constantly in and out of planes, flying through quality airports in different parts of the world. 

Addis Ababa Bole Intl Airport

The standard of the Lusaka International Airport remains dismal regardless of the exposure the Zambian leadership has had over several decades. The blame game cannot only be apportioned to the politicians but also civil servants that are responsible for planning must shoulder the blame. The current airport is credited to former President Kaunda.  What is wrong with this picture? As people of Zambia, we need to develop a sense of pride in the kind of infrastructural development that we are capable of. A look at the Airport’s parking ticket booth conjures images of those shacks built by illegal land grabbers in high density areas of Zambia. It is clear that there was no absolutely no thinking whatsoever in the construction of the ticket Booth. It appears that the National Airports Corporation of Zambia has no serious management to allow such a building. This is arrested development. It is ridiculous and a shame that the country should continue suffering from arrested development.

There is only a handful of infrastructure in the country that a Zambia can truly pride in. Given this scenario, there is urgent need for fresh ideas among City Planners, Architects and Engineers to change the way Zambia is viewed by visitors.