KwaZulu Natal has established an air route development committee that is pursuing greater global and domestic connectivity for the province.
Sihle Zikalala, KZN’s MEC for Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs, says a route development project team recently attended the World Routes 2017 conference in Spain. It operates under the auspices of the Durban Aerotropolis, which comprises the Dube Trade Port, Tourism KZN, Trade & Investment KZN, King Shaka International Airport (Acsa) and the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
This follows the success of Cape Town Air Access – a collaboration between the Western Cape government, the City of Cape Town, Acsa and Wesgro – that so far has resulted in 10 new routes and 11 route expansions for the Mother City through joint marketing and networking initiatives.
Zikalala says KZN has also embarked on an ambitious programme to rejuvenate its regional airports. “Our grand plan is to improve accessibility of our regional economies by both domestic and international travellers. Regional airports also play a critical role in emergency medical, disaster, fire and rescue flights, freight, fuel supply to aircraft, pilot training, fire-fighting training, anti-poaching exercises, tourism and other aviation activities,” he adds.
In 2014, KZN adopted the KZN Integrated Aerotropolis Strategy, with the Durban Aerotropolis Master Plan nearing completion. Zikalala says this will see the development over the next 50 years of a multibillion-rand airport city around King Shaka International Airport, within the confines of the Dube Trade Ports Special Economic Zone.
Zikalala says the province is “playing a monumental role in developing and up-skilling KZN youth in the aviation industry”. It is in the process of establishing the Aerotropolis Institute Africa (AIA) to build skills that will meet the future demands of the KZN economy. These include aviation economics, air cargo logistics, airport management, Smart City airport planning and implementation, airport environmental planning, sustainability, aviation policy and regulations, airport infrastructure planning, airport synergies, aviation maintenance and aeronautical engineering.
