Kigoma Airport Guide
Kigoma Airport, also known as by its IATA Code TKQ and ICAO Code HKKA, is one among the regional airports of the Republic of Tanzania which services the Kigoma region which is currently undergoing massive renovations and expansion in a bid to modernize it.
Geographical Location – see map below
Kigoma Airport is located in North Western Tanzania in the area of North East of Ujiji, the oldest town in western Tanzania. Kigoma is situated to the east of Lake Tanganyika and is a major port town that straddles the border with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
NEW SAFETY MEASURE DUE TO COVID-19
Please note that due to Covid-19,the Kigoma Airport have enacted several safety measure in order to protect both the staff and tourists coming in and out of the airport. These measures include:
- Ensuring every tourist arriving in the country is not infected with COVID-19; All travelers arriving will be subjected to an intensive screening and where necessary COVID-19 rapid testing.
- The airport staff will have to be tested for COVID-19 so that only those who are safe will provide services; In addition, all attendants will have to wear facemasks all the time; they will also have to wear gloves and will have to use sanitizers as directed by MoHCDEC. In addition, they must make sure that they observe the social distance of not less than one meter from one staff to another and from the guest
- All other members on the tourism activities value chain will be regularly monitored to ensure they are not infected with the Corona virus; These include ensuring gloves are always worn when loading and unloading passenger baggage, cargo and pouches and the taxi drivers at the airport are tested.Only staff that are not infected with Corona Virus will be allowed to cater to tourist. However, all staff will have to wear masks and make sure that they stay at least one meter apart between themselves and the tourist.
- All tourist transport facilities, tourist accommodation and all other facilities used by tourists must be cleaned and sanitized before and after service in an acceptable manner to ensure that they do not become infected with Corona Virus.
Getting Here
- Taxi – There is taxi service to the airport from the city center at a cost of Tzshs 10,000 (USD $4).
- Preferred Mode – Use Taxis they are more reliable and they offer more luggage and leg room.
- Alternative A – You can get a ride on the TukTuks (Three Wheeled Motorbikes) or Piki Piki (Motorbike) to the airport for Tzshs 2000 (USD $ 0.9)
- Alternatives – For the adventurous type you could catch the train operated by Tanzania Railways from Dar es Salaam for a 48 hour ride at Tzshs 75,700(USD $ 34 ) first class, to Kigoma and catch the taxi to the airport for the flight back. Please note that this option is not for first timer of the faint hearted.
- Auxiliary Information
- Flight from Hub
There are 4 direct flights per week to Kigoma Airport from the hub Dar es Salaam International Airport and the flight time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Airlines Using As Hub
There are no airlines which use this as a hub but Precision Air flies this route regularly.
The taxis and car hire vehicles will pick and drop you within the terminal; with some luck you will find porters ready to help you with your luggage, for a small tip.
There is very little or no informative signage at the airport, which is a negative but it does have at least one duty free shop.
Hotels & Transit Accommodation
It is a small provincial town with its delights, there is excellent accommodation at the following hotels; Lake Tanganyika Hotel, Jakobsen’s Beach and Guesthouse, Kigoma Hilltop Hotel and Nzimano Hotel. TripIndigo offers a useful resource on this city and accommodations.
