If construction of the R36- million Newcastle Airport stays on schedule, the municipality hopes to launch flights between the KwaZulu Natal town and Johannesburg by March next year.
“We will have two daily flights to and from Johannesburg. The 35-minute flight will be ideal for business travellers who do not want to drive three hours to Johannesburg,” said Ferdie Alberts, director: economic development at the Newcastle Municipality
The airport is located halfway between Durban and Johannesburg and the municipality is currently in talks with several domestic carriers for other routes, including a flight to Durban.
Alberts said the European Union-funded project would also include a technology hub – at a prime location at the airport – offering a range of incentives, rebates and assistance for investors.
This will become the fourth techno hub in the province after the provincial government identified a need for technological innovation and began developing science and technology parks to promote the so-called knowledge economy.
A KZN government official said initiatives such as these would help the province to improve its competitiveness.
