Ground handlers at Zanzibar airport given two months to vacate terminal 3

Unguja. Ground handling firms currently operating at Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport have up to December 1 to vacate the newly constructed Terminal III building to give way to a new operator Dubai National Air Travel Agency (Dnata).

This follows a new directive issued by the Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA) which gives the Dubai based company Dnata exclusive access to the new terminal which was constructed at a cost of $120 million.

The new directive is however, against the TCAA decision of 2022 that states that there shall be neither monopoly nor price caps, favoritism from airport owners and segregation of terminals.

In a letter issued and signed by the ZAA director general Seif Juma to all Airlines and airport users, the authority  said that the government of Zanzibar in its quest to improve service delivery at the airport, it has entered a management agreement with three companies.

He named the companies as Dnata Zanzibar Aviation Services Limited, Emirate Leisure Retail, and SEGAP.

“As from December 1, 2022, unless informed otherwise by the authority, all services from terminal 3 shall be conducted under the auspices of Dnata for provision of ground handling and the Marhaba lounge Services,” reads the letter.

The letter further states that the Emirates Leisure Retail shall provide food and beverage service, shops and duty free shops, whereas SEGAP will provide technical support to ZAA management and airport operations.

Following the developments, ZAA has advised airlines intending to use the newly built terminal 3 to start negotiations with Dnata to avoid inconveniences.

Currently, all the 15 international airlines that fly into AAK International Airport are serviced at terminal 3

The arrangement which comes into effect in December will restrict current ground handlers ZAT and Transworld to terminal 2 in the process losing their current clients who would prefer the access of the modern terminal 3.

The Citizen has independently confirmed that various airlines have received the letter from the Airports authority giving the new directive which offers the Dubai company exclusive rights in the terminal building.

It is not clear whether the regulator TCCA has given a nod to the latest developments by the Zanzibar Airports Authority.

Efforts to reach TCAA for comment has been futile as neither phones nor messages were answered.

In November 2021, Dnata signed a contract with authorities in Zanzibar to provide ground handling services at newly built Terminal 3 at the Abeid Amani Kurume International Airport.

As part of the contract, two other Emirates’ subsidiaries, Emirates Leisure Retail and MMI were operate all 13 retailers and two lounges in the terminal.