By Paddy Harper

Poor planning and bureaucratic tangles around the sale of Durban's R3-billion present airport site could dash hopes of using the proceeds to offset the R6.8-billion tab for the city's new 2010 facility.

'The decision will have to be strategic, aimed at serving the best interests of the province' Durban International Airport - situated on 620ha of land south of the city - will close at the end of April when the new King Shaka International Airport on the North Coast opens ahead of the World Cup.

But the sale of the old site now hangs in the balance. The Sunday Times has established that:

• Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) wants to decommission the runway immediately after the World Cup;
• The SA Air Force, which has a base on site, needs to use the runway for another 5 years;
• No budget has been allocated to establish a new air force base at the King Shaka airport;
• The task team assessing the sale of the old airport has been meeting only for the past 5 months; and
• Two major potential bidders, Toyota SA and Transnet, are no longer bidding for the site.

Now Comair, whose proposal to buy the site for its own operations last year was rejected by Acsa, plans to re-enter the fray.

It wants to buy the site to run its business and as a general and commercial airport to house the city's light aircraft facility, Virginia Airport.

At the same time, Acsa faces a Competition Commission tribunal for anti-competitive behaviour for refusing to sell the site to Comair.

Durban resident Mark Young has lodged the complaint on the basis that Acsa had engaged in anti-competitive conduct by refusing to sell the airport for aviation use.

This week, eThekwini city manager Mike Sutcliffe said the sale would be concluded "soon".

Bheko Madlala, a spokesman for economic development MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, said there were "several proposals being developed", but no decision yet.

"The decision will have to be a strategic one aimed at serving the best interests of the province.

"There are presently several proposals which are still under consideration," said Madlala.

Acsa spokesman Colin Naidoo refused to divulge how far the team had progressed, but was adamant that the runway would be closed.

"After the World Cup, the runway will be completely closed for any aviation activity," said Naidoo.

"A task team consisting of Acsa, the Department of Trade and Industry, the eThekweni municipality, province and national government has been established to look at the best options to best dispose of the property ... Once the future of the site has been decided ... a sale transaction will be concluded."

SA Air Force spokesman Lt Mpho Makhetha said the air force could not move from the site, as it had no budget for the estimated R90-million project.

"Although the base was allocated 17ha at the new airport site, the Department of Public Works hasn't been allocated any money to build yet, so the decision for us to stay where we are for the next five years was made by our current air force board," said Makhetha.

"We've impressed upon Acsa that whoever they sell it to must understand that we will still need access to the runway."

Defence spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya said it was still not clear if the air force base would move.

"The chief of the air force has not made a final decision yet. If the base is going to move, it will not be any time soon," said Mabaya.

Source: Sunday Times