KwaZulu-Natal's regional airports such as Ulundi, Richards Bay, Pietermaritzburg and Newcastle, are crucial for economic growth, serving as hubs for trade, tourism and freight.
The Department of Transport in the province said it recognised their importance and aimed to revitalise them to ensure they could meet future demand.
Although operational, these airports required further development to reach their full potential.
Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma emphasised the importance of air connectivity for economic development and highlighted the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill as a framework for better collaboration across government and the private sector.
“In relation to the aviation industry, this important piece of law provides for synergy across all spheres of government, departments, municipalities and the private sector.
“I am saying this because air connectivity is critical to this province as it is one of the effective catalysts for socio-economic development. It has helped the province’s economy integrate with economies of the world, as demonstrated by King Shaka International Airport and Dube Trade Port,” said Duma.
He said that the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea) had injected funds in the repairs of the regional airports.
About R115 million has been invested in the renovation and expansion of Mkuze Airport, around R5.5m for the renovations at Pietermaritzburg Airport, R5m for the renovations at Newcastle International Airport, R15m for the upgrade of Margate Airport, R500 000 for the renovations at Ulundi Airport and R2.8m for a feasibility study on the relocation of the Richards Bay Airport.
The Richards Bay Airport in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality is operational and licensed as CAT5 (Category 5), with rescue and fire-fighting capability.
“Richards Bay Airport is currently commercially operated. Of course, further development like an extension of the runway, extension of the terminal building and increase in passenger throughput will benefit further growth of the airport,” said Bongani Gina, the municipality’s spokesperson.
Ulundi Airport in the Zululand District Municipality, licensed under CAT2 general aviation, currently has no scheduled flights but was working on a CAT4 licence and GNSS (global navigation satellite system) to attract scheduled airlines, said spokesperson Zanele Mthethwa.
“If we want to see greater economic growth in the Zululand area it is important that we have this airport ready for scheduled flights. We are finalising our R2m upgrade investment by Edtea to help us update the infrastructure,” said Mthethwa.
She said the region had impeccable tourism offerings.
“International guests love safari experiences and this area is unique in that you can see the Big 5 and the weather is fantastic. The only thing missing is connecting flights from Johannesburg and Durban. If we want to see more international guests coming to this area, we have to provide scheduled air connectivity that can be booked from anywhere in the world,” said Mthethwa.
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) said it was equally important to upgrade the facilities around the airports.
“It is very clear that the municipal management understands aviation and its relation to the broader transport environment. But there are issues with leases for tenants and fuel provision at the airfields, because they do not want to give rights to other people to provide fuel.
“The other one is safety and security,” said Fedhasa chairperson Brett Tungay.
The Mercury