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Lanseria is facility of choice

Posted On Monday, 18 June 2001 03:01 Published by
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THE development of Lanseria Airport outside Johannesburg as SA's premier general aviation facility is attracting some of the country's major players.

THE development of Lanseria Airport outside Johannesburg as SA's premier general aviation facility is attracting some of the country's major players.
One of these is ExecuJet SA, a corporate aviation service provider that has broken ground on a new base and regional headquarters at Lanseria.
Construction of the new business centre, aircraft operations and maintenance base has begun and the new facilities are due to be completed by the end of the year.
MD Danie Joubert says growth in the company's business, both in southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent, was the driving factor in the decision to move.
'We decided to acquire a greenfield site on which we could build a tailormade facility to cope with expansion,' he says.
The new centre also sees a 30% increase in workshops, stores and technical office space. Available hangar space will increase by 26% with the erection of three hangars.
Each of the three hangars will be able to accommodate two long-haul wide-body business jets in the Bombardier Global Express category, or up to four Challenger 604 inter-continental aircraft and several smaller medium and short-range Learjet category planes.
Joubert says the new facility will accommodate organic growth in the business for the next 10 years.
In addition, National Airways Corporation (NAC), arguably the biggest general aviation company in Africa, is in the process of moving the bulk of its executive head office, as well as its fixed-wing aircraft operation, from Rand Airport in Germiston to Lanseria Airport.
A new hangar and a doublestorey office block will house the head-office personnel. The new facility, already under construction, will cost an estimated R10m and will form an integral part of the existing NAC premises at Lanseria Airport, says Graeme Conlyn, NAC's marketing director.
The facility will ultimately house fixed-wing maintenance workshops, parts, avionics and the aircraft sales team, complete with a dedicated aircraft showroom.
The company has decided to leave its entire helicopter division at Rand Airport, however, because of the airport's proximity to Johannesburg and the East Rand.
Conlyn says Rand Airport is no longer classified as an international airport, whereas Lanseria has the advantage of both customs and immigration facilities.
He says Lanseria will cater for instrument flight-rule traffic in bad weather, while a new terminal building under construction will secure the airfield's position as the leading general aviation facility in SA.


Publisher: Business Day
Source: Business Day
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