GABORONE, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi Friday officially opened the refurbished Maun International Airport which is located in the tourist city of Maun.
During the opening ceremony, Masisi said this infrastructure development demonstrates the government's dedication to constructing first-class airport infrastructure to facilitate socio-economic development.
Masisi noted that the airport is one of the busiest in the Southern African region in terms of landings and take-offs. In 2021, the airport recorded a total of 116,345 passengers and the number increased to a total of 200,929 between January and October 2022.
Situated at the gateway to the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve, Maun is one of the world's famous tourist destinations. This refurbishment, therefore, would facilitate an expected increase in the number of tourists coming to the delta as well as people who come to do business in Maun, said Masisi.
The major upgrades at the airport which were opened in 1996 included upgrades and modernization of the terminal building. Meanwhile, the airport runway was extended to 3.7 kilometers in length to accommodate aircraft equivalent to Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. ■