Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve Victoria Falls Bureau
THE Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) has announced plans to upgrade the Integrated Security System at three of the country’s major international airports, including Victoria Falls International Airport to boost aviation safety and security to attract more global airlines.
The ambitious project, which also covers Robert Mugabe International Airport and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, is aimed at modernising security infrastructure to meet stringent international standards.
The initiative comes as Zimbabwe’s aviation sector continues to expand, with increasing passenger traffic and airline operations.
However, this growth must be matched with robust security systems to ensure safety and compliance with global aviation regulations.
In an interview recently in Victoria Falls, ACZ finance director Mr Vengesai Ruswa said the company, earlier this year conducted a pre-feasibility study for the Civil Aviation Integrated Security System, which is aimed at modernising the security systems at the airports.
“The idea that we are trying to push here is, we have seen the growth in our aviation infrastructure and our airport infrastructure over the past couple of years. That has to be complemented by a robust security system, and aviation security and safety are critical to the survival of the sector,” he said.
Mr Ruswa said that the upgrade is crucial for attracting airlines from regions with strict security requirements, such as Asia and the Americas which are major market sources of the country’s tourism sector, where compliance with bodies like the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is mandatory.
He said the pre-feasibility study has already been approved by the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (Zida), paving the way for the project to enter the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) development pipeline.
“The next step is performing a full feasibility study, which is supposed to be done by an external technical consultant. We are in the process of securing funding for that.
“Once the funding modalities are completed, we will go out on a public procurement process to appoint a competent technical consultant,” he said.
The full feasibility study will assess the technical, financial, and operational aspects of the security upgrade, ensuring that the final implementation meets both local and international aviation security standards.
The upgrade comes at a time when airports worldwide are facing evolving security challenges, including cyber threats, insider risks, and organised crime.
In a separate interviews, Mr Laxman Moyo, Director of Aviation Security at the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) said there are emerging security concerns in the aviation sector.
“We are always mindful that whatever is happening outside the continent may also be a threat to Africa. We have seen a real challenge with false bomb threats or hoaxes because of the proliferation of social media and unregulated internet use. It is easy for someone to just throw a message like, ‘I have placed a bomb,’ causing unnecessary panic,” he said.
Mr Moyo also pointed to the growing risk of insider threats and organised crime infiltrating airport environments.
“The insider threat is a dimension of every other threat. Every time there is an incident, there could be an element of someone with local knowledge aiding or abetting the situation.
“Another dimension is organised crime such as smuggling, human trafficking, identity theft. These crimes are slowly drifting into the aviation world due to the displacement theory. The more law enforcement cracks down in urban areas, the more criminals may shift operations to airports,” he said.
The security upgrade is expected to position Zimbabwe’s airports as competitive hubs in the region, improving confidence among international airlines and passengers.
With Victoria Falls being a key tourist destination, a state-of-the-art security system will further enhance its reputation as a safe and world-class travel gateway.
The ACZ reiterated that once it finalises funding and appoints consultants to conduct the full feasibility study, it will mark a major milestone in bringing this transformative project to life. — @nyeve14
