The finalisation of Terminal 3 at Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, is being given top priority by the Zanzibar Ministry of Finance and Planning.

Finance and Planning Minister Mohamed Ramia Abdiwawa has given the go-ahead for funds to be allocated to ensure construction is completed by December 2020.

Mahmoud Kombo, Minister of Information, Tourism and Heritage, said the contractors had received the last instalment for the construction.

Kombo says Terminal 3 will be solely for international flights. Terminal 2 currently handles both domestic and international flights.

“Terminal two is currently handling 800 000 passengers a year,” said Kombo. “Since last month, we’ve seen more frequent flights of Boeing 747s from Russia carrying more than 500 passengers. We have handled this very well with the same infrastructure.”

Abdiwawa said Zanzibar’s GDP, at 7.1%, was one of the best in the region, attributing it to an increase in tourism, among other factors.