Gupta-style charterers for SA airports?

A passenger checks the information of flight departures at Beijing's international airport, China Monday, April 19, 2010. Several thousand air passengers were stranded in Asia for days as flights were grounded because of a massive cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano that paralyzed European airports. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A passenger checks the information of flight departures at Beijing's international airport, China Monday, April 19, 2010. Several thousand air passengers were stranded in Asia for days as flights were grounded because of a massive cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano that paralyzed European airports. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Published May 8, 2013

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Johannesburg - Private party charterers like the Guptas may soon be able to choose from more airports that have international landing rights.

Three airports in Gauteng and a planned airport in Mpumalanga have all applied for international status. Their applications are with the Department of Transport.

They are Rand Airport in Germiston, Grand Central Airport in Midrand, Wonderboom National Airport in Pretoria and Nkangala International Airport near Delmas in Mpumalanga.

The main focus is on access to neighbouring states. The smaller airports lost international status in about 1999, when the government limited the number of ports of entry.

Rand and Grand Central are small, privately owned airports which are not used by commercial airlines, but by charters, businesses and private flyers.

Rand Airport has been trying for about eight years to get back its international status.

“It’s been a long time since our original application,” said Stuart Coetzee, the acting airport manager for Rand Airport. “We keep trying.”

Rand Airport sees potential business from people who arrive at OR Tambo International Airport, then fly from there to game farms and lodges in neighbouring states.

Grand Central put in its application for international status in January last year and doesn’t know how long it will take to be finalised.

“It’s extremely difficult to tell… We’re hoping it will be expedited, but we’ve been given no dates from the government on how soon it could happen,” said Gary Renault, Grand Central’s airport manager.

Those based at domestic airports who want to cross borders first have to land at an airport with international status before departing, adding costs.

“Lots of guys who have aircraft at Grand Central have farms in Namibia or in Botswana. A lot of our charter companies operate into and out of Mozambique,” said Renault.

Wonderboom previously had international status for Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, and has been trying for years to get it back.

“Our first application went in in 2005 already,” said a senior official at Wonderboom, who did not want to be named.

 

Near Delmas, an airport project has been in the planning for about 10 years.

Private business Nkangala International Airport Developments took over about five years ago, added passenger services to the original freight plans, and realised it needed international status.

The project is still at a preliminary stage, said chief executive Peter Hunter.

The company was formed by businessmen involved in property development.

“It doesn’t exist yet,” said Hunter of the new airport.

 

He said the airports had to show the Department of Transport that they could generate the traffic to justify getting international status.

Once international status is granted, those like the Guptas who prefer to avoid OR Tambo International could have a choice of arrival spots. - The Star

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