Solwezi airport land secured
LAND wrangles involving the Solwezi Municipal Council and some individuals and churches that have built around airport land will soon end.
This follows the acquiring of a land title by the National Airport Corporation (NAC).
A number of individuals and churches have built around the airport, compromising the safety of the facility.
This came to light when Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) called on North-Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Chihili last week.
CAA acting chairperson, Patrick Nswana, said that following the acquiring of a land title, all those that have built around the airport will have to be relocated to other areas.
He said this is for their own safety and that of the airport in an event that there is a mishap of an aircraft.
"However, they need to be engaged in a manner that does not bring a lot of dispute while considering the fact that the title is superior than any other document.
“So, I am appealing to the local authority to find these people alternative land, unless they have titles also," he said.
He said this should be of priority hence the need to relocate them.
"Imagine there is a mishap on an aircraft and rams into a fully packed church, we will all be blamed starting with us the regulators. And you know that any aircraft mishap is not like a
car accident, it attracts the international community which at the end of the day even as a country we will be surcharged," he said.
CAA Director General, Gabriel Lesa, emphasised that the two churches that are right on the flight path must be relocated immediately.
Mr Lesa said since alternative land has already been found for them, they have to leave the area.
Meanwhile, Mr Chihili has expressed happiness now that the airport has land title.
He however appealed to NAC to expedite the process of acquiring land titles for other airstrips and drones in the province.