HKIA COMMISSIONS CHECK-IN COUNTERS

The Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) recently commissioned new check-in counters in the expanded Check-in Hall while the Arrivals Hall also have two brand new baggage reclaim carousels.

The operationalizing of these services at the airport is part of the specialist equipment which was set to be in place by the end of October 2021.

With the new check-in counters, HKIA now boasts 18 check-in counters which are serviced by a new Baggage Handling System (BHS) for timeous baggage movement.

The project at HKIA which is a short-term project to address the current congestion and ICAO compliance shortcomings covers areas such as the Farewell, Check-in and Restaurant, Arrivals and Baggage handling, New Departure Hall, Security, and Immigration as well as Customs areas.

The project is aimed at doubling the handling capacity of the airport to accommodate increased passenger movements up until 2030.

As the world continues to open up amid a controlled COVID-19 pandemic, NAC now has Airlink, FlyWestair, Ethiopian Airways, Eurowings Discover, and TAAG Angola calling at HKIA, with more airlines expected before the end of 2021

Millionenprojekt am HKIA geglückt: Mehr Service für Flugreisende garantiert
www.az.com.na/nachri...a-geglckt2021-10-29/

In diesem Bericht steht u.a. dass die Gastronomie verbessert wurde.

wird, nicht wurde. Noch ist er nicht offiziell geöffnet und noch viele Läden, Gastronomieflächen etc leer.

COVID-19 Testing at HKIA

NAC recently handed over the COVID-19 testing facility at HKIA to the partnership of Profile Technology and Trinity Health and they got the licence on 17 Dec 2021 and the service provision started, Monday 20 Dec 2021.

The Covid 19 pandemic, now entering the 3rd year since it first emerged in the world in 2019, remains a global public health emergency, spurred by the many new mutations emerging.

As is now widely known, the mantra that "Covid travels and crosses borders with people" is now a confirmed fact. As a result, we have seen several countries imposing complete international travel bans from time to time, justifiably or not, but certainly out of a abundance of caution, in order to minimize importation of the virus into their territories or countries.

The fast emerging global standard is thus that testing be done on both inbound and outbound travellers, at all points of entry into the country, including international airports, such as our Hosea Kutako International Airport. Even for inbound travellers, the testing is being made mandatory.

However, for that to happen, the airports and other points of entry (land or sea ports) should themselves have these facilities to make it easy for travellers to test before the fly out, or if required by law or out of expediency (eg a sick patient on arrival or one with expired PCR results), then the point of entry should have capacity to have the facility to provide the testing mechanism and assist the Port Health surveillance teams to manage the traveller.

As part of the measures to reduce the potential importation of the virus into the country, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) floated a tender to set up a Covid PCR testing facility at the Hosea Kutako International Airport early this year.
Following a competitive bidding or tender process floated by the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) earlier this year, the successful bidder, a partnership between Profile Technology and Trinity Health, has successfully established a state-of-the- art Covid testing facility which has now been registered and certified by the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

The facility is equipped and capacitated to perform Covid testing on air travellers leaving or arriving intothe country through the international Airport as a port of entry connected to our source International Markets (i.e. Germany and Britian and the rest of Europe as well as the USA). This will be guided by the current regulations and will be effective as from the 21st December 2021.

According to the service provider, the facility has capacity to test over 3,000 tests per day, and can easily scale capacity in tandem with demand. The results are available within 120 minutes from time of swabbing.

The facility is situated next to the long term parking at HKIA.