Serengeti International Airport


Serengeti International Airport is a proposed international airport project in northern Tanzania intended to serve the Serengeti National Park.

Background

At present the national park is served by a number of airstrips; Seronera being the busiest. Major airports near the park's proximity are Mwanza Airport, Arusha Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport. Therefore, in order to minimize the travel time and distance, the government has decided to construct an international airport 40 km outside the park's north-western precincts.
American investor Paul Tudor Jones has agreed to finance the project.

Project

The airport will be located in the Uwanja wa Ndege ward of Mugumu town in Serengeti District, Mara Region in northern Tanzania. It will cost about US$350 million and is expected to boost the number of visitors from the present 0.8 to 1.6 million whilst also doubling the revenue to US$2.8 billion.
The length of the single runway is expected to be between 3,800 and 4,200 metres.

Proponents

Serengeti Watch, a nonprofit organization insists that its construction would negatively impact the future of the park.