Construction of the airport outside the Serengeti National Park is likely to fail because of an ongoing campaign by environmentalists to stop the project.
Tanzania is facing renewed pressure to shelve the construction of an international airport next to the world famous Serengeti National Park, creating fears of possible delays.
Deputy Transport minister Charles Tizeba said construction of the airport outside the Serengeti National Park is likely to fail because of an ongoing campaign by environmentalists to stop the project.
“The government is facing real pressure from some circles, but it will go ahead despite all these,” he said.
Construction of the $350 million airport was expected to start early this year, and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority had approved the project.
The government’s move to put up the airport follows an earlier attempt to construct a 321-kilometre tarmac road through Serengeti. This was shelved over concerns that it would interfere with the wildebeest migration, the only one of its kind in the world, and crucial to the existence of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
The Friends of Serengeti movement has repeatedly denounced having an airport so close to the World Heritage Site, saying it would attract more human activity near the fragile Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
Opponents of the project say the landing and takeoff of large planes in Mugumu could damage wildlife migration patterns.
“The new airport would offer tourists the option to use either Kilimanjaro or Serengeti airports,” said President Kikwete recently.
Tourists could land at Kilimanjaro International Airport and, after visiting Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti, use Serengeti International airport to fly back home.
Analysts say the airport would increase the number of visitors from 800,000 to 1.6 million by 2015, and double tourism revenue from the current $1.4 billion to $2.8 billion annually in the next three years.
