The prospects for the now closed Durban International Airport being re-opened as an aviation facility have markedly improved over the past few months following the recent pronouncements made by some very senior Government office holders.
At the release of the Airports Company of South Africas (ACSA) financial year end results,the Minister of Transport announced the following with respect to the disposal of the DIA Site:
"We have formed a steering committee which is made up of the Department of Transport, the province of KwaZulu-Natal, ACSA, City of EThekwini among others to advise on the best use/options for the land and to determine the process to be followed in disposing of this land. We will ensure, however, that due process is followed to obtain the best proposal on the table.
"A Request for Expressions of Interest will ensure that all interested parties bar none, are given the opportunity to submit proposals on the land. It is our intention that this process is completed in the shortest time possible in the interest of all bidders and the country as a whole. We will make further announcements in the coming weeks".
In addition, the Commissioner for Civil Aviation, Colin Jordaan, speaking at the recent Aviation Outlook conference in Cape Town, mentioned that there was a distinct possibility that DIA could be retained for aviation use.
Aviation observers feel that this more open-minded approach by Government to the disposal of DIA,can only benefit South Africa's aviation industry if it- the industry- jumps into action and puts together a proposal to Government combining its brightest ideas and best resources.Also,as the DIA site is so large, it would be prudent for any industry proposal to identify a "mix" of stakeholders that will be able to utilize the facility in away that serves both the economic and strategic interests of the country.
At the moment, three stakeholders have a clearly identifiable interest in utilizing the DIA,namely the operators at Virginia Airport, the SA Air Force (SAAF) and Comair Limited.
The commercial general aviation operators at Virginia, represented by the Virginia Operators Committee, have identified DIA as a possible re-location site for Virginia Airport which is currently experiencing various operating challenges .Virginia Airport currently lacks a convenient general flying area (GFA); is too small to accommodate certain types of operations and any new business entrants, and it is regarded as a noise pollutant by many Durban North residents. There is also strong rum ours that the Durban Metro intends selling the airport for real estate development.
At the release of the Airports Company of South Africas (ACSA) financial year end results,the Minister of Transport announced the following with respect to the disposal of the DIA Site:
"We have formed a steering committee which is made up of the Department of Transport, the province of KwaZulu-Natal, ACSA, City of EThekwini among others to advise on the best use/options for the land and to determine the process to be followed in disposing of this land. We will ensure, however, that due process is followed to obtain the best proposal on the table.
"A Request for Expressions of Interest will ensure that all interested parties bar none, are given the opportunity to submit proposals on the land. It is our intention that this process is completed in the shortest time possible in the interest of all bidders and the country as a whole. We will make further announcements in the coming weeks".
In addition, the Commissioner for Civil Aviation, Colin Jordaan, speaking at the recent Aviation Outlook conference in Cape Town, mentioned that there was a distinct possibility that DIA could be retained for aviation use.
Aviation observers feel that this more open-minded approach by Government to the disposal of DIA,can only benefit South Africa's aviation industry if it- the industry- jumps into action and puts together a proposal to Government combining its brightest ideas and best resources.Also,as the DIA site is so large, it would be prudent for any industry proposal to identify a "mix" of stakeholders that will be able to utilize the facility in away that serves both the economic and strategic interests of the country.
At the moment, three stakeholders have a clearly identifiable interest in utilizing the DIA,namely the operators at Virginia Airport, the SA Air Force (SAAF) and Comair Limited.
The commercial general aviation operators at Virginia, represented by the Virginia Operators Committee, have identified DIA as a possible re-location site for Virginia Airport which is currently experiencing various operating challenges .Virginia Airport currently lacks a convenient general flying area (GFA); is too small to accommodate certain types of operations and any new business entrants, and it is regarded as a noise pollutant by many Durban North residents. There is also strong rum ours that the Durban Metro intends selling the airport for real estate development.
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