The European Union (EU) has granted Malawi €3-million for projects in the country’s civil aviation sector, including preliminary studies on the upgrading of the country’s major airports – Kamuzu International Airport, in Lilongwe, and Chileka International Airport, in Blantyre.
The EU Delegation in Malawi says that the European Commission decided to support Malawi’s civil aviation sector in recognition of the reforms the country is implementing in the sector, including the restructuring of the national carrier, Air Malawi, and the adherence to the recommendations made by the International Civil Aviation Organisation in the field of aviation safety.
“The grant will allow for the establishment of a partnership between the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Department of Civil Aviation of Malawi’s Ministry of Transport and Public Works, aimed at enhancing the oversight function of the department by modernising the legislative and regulatory frameworks of the civil aviation sector, conducting studies and implementing procedures in the field of aviation safety and providing software and training for safety oversight activities,” states the EU Delegation.
The EU Delegation in Malawi has already financed an assessment of the status of the current infrastructure and equipment at Kamuzu International Airport and Chileka International Airport.
The study identified short-term needs and informed the decision by the European Investment Bank to carry out a more comprehensive due diligence process in partnership with the country’s airports authority.
The Malawi government is intent on improving the capacity of the two airports and modernising their operations so that they comply with international standards before it concessions them to private operators.
Malawi is also mobilising funds to construct two new airports – one in the northern city of Mzuzu and another in the town of Mangochi, the centre of the country’s tourism industry.
Earlier this year, Malawi privatised Air Malawi, with the deal resulting in the establishment of a new airline called Malawi Airlines.
Ethiopian Airlines, which emerged the preferred bidder, is expected to make a substantial investment in Malawi Airlines to acquire 49% of the shareholding, while the rest of the equity will remain in the hands of the Malawi government and Malawi citizens.