Freight industry will help plan new Durban airport

Deadline for first phase is end 2006 Leonard Neill THE FREIGHT industry will have a full say in the development of cargo facilities at the planned new King Shaka International Airport north of Durban. “We want the industry to work closely with us in all our planning stages to ensure that warehouses, handling facilities and all the other needs are developed to their requirements,” says Hamish Erskine, project executive for Durban Trade Port Company. His organisation, which is responsible for the relocation of Durban International Airport to the new La Mercy site, will develop an industrial development zone and trade facility. Focus will fall on the export of perishable and general cargo as well as imports. The company will also provide information technology and telecommunications infrastructure to manufacturing and logistics companies at the new site. “It is our intention to engage freight forwarders, importers and exports, warehouse operators and other service providers, both at advisory levels and as prospective tenants, to ensure we have the best possible guidelines in our construction programme. We have looked at similar patterns that have been used in the development of freight facilities at major airports such as Dubai and Liege and we are following their example. Phase one of the airport project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2006. “This means the airport will be up and running at that stage with facilities provided to meet immediate demands. There will, of course, be further developments but by end 2006 we want to have everything in place to make certain we can provide the services required of us. “By schedule date there will be a fully serviced runway, a passenger terminal and the seeds of an eventually larger freight terminal and IDZ in place.” The facility will be located well away from the passenger operations. “By placing the terminals well apart in this manner, we will allow increasing development in both areas,” says Erskine.