The land dispute between Airports Company SA (Acsa) and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has been resolved, paving the way for construction of a new R2bn airport for Durban.

Dube Tradeport, the company established by the province to manage the proposed industrial development zone, said construction of the new airport would begin in the first quarter of next year.

The airport, to be called King Shaka International Airport, was first mooted 35 years ago by the then ruling National Party.

It was initially planned that the airport would be operational by 1981, then 1988, later 2006, and now 2009.

Dube Tradeport CE Rohan Persad said yesterday Acsa had signed a memorandum of understanding with the national transport department and the provincial government.

Acsa committed itself to sell its 206,899ha land to the provincial government, and manage the new airport for the first 10 years of its launch.

The airports operator had the option of buying the airport if it wished, sources close to the project, he said.

Persad said the new airport would be operational by 2009, well ahead of the anticipated influx of thousands of soccer fans who will visit SA during the 2010 World Cup tournament.

"We have reached an exciting phase in the realisation of a dream of a world-class facility on the African continent. More importantly, this project is a catalyst for economic development and sustainable job creation in KwaZulu-Natal," he said.

Last week, KwaZulu-Natal Finance and Economic Development MEC Zweli Mkhize told the Board of Airline Representatives of SA, a body that represents all major airlines operating in SA, that four bidders had been short-listed for the construction of the airport.

The winner will be announced in September and construction is due to start early next year.

National transport department spokesman Collin Msibi said a lot of progress had been made to get the project off the ground.

He said government was negotiating with Acsa over the management of the proposed airport.

Business Day
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge