Tanzania Songwe airport name to be changed

Mbeya, Tanzania:

The Tanzania government has been advised to change the name of the Songwe International Airport (SIA) to the name of the relevant region (Mbeya) to eliminate confusion for visitors entering and leaving the region for various activities.

The request was made today, Monday January 9, 2023 by the Speaker of the Parliament who is also the MP for Mbeya Urban, Dr. Tulia Ackson when he participated in the meeting of the regional road board led by the governor of the region, Juma Homera.

“The reality of airports in the world is that they must be named after the relevant geographical place or the name of a person, you cannot use the name of Songwe which is another region in the area of ​​Mbeya region, this thing confuses many people, so you need a change,” said Dr. Tulia .

On his part, Lupa Member of Parliament, Masanche Kasaka has supported the argument while insisting on the Tanzania Roads Agency (Tanroads) to improve the road infrastructure.

A general store trader in Mbeya, Atupakisye John has said that it is good for the Government to accept the idea and change the name of the Songwe airport to be called the regional airport.

“Even when we receive our fellow traders from other countries, they question the reasons for the airport in Mbeya region to be called Songwe airport, which causes stuttering,” he said.