Leonard Neill
Border control to take more
flexible approach
MAFIKENG AIRPORT is set to become South Africa's first international cargo airport, with a training school for airline staff and a maintenance base for large aircraft. Restructuring is currently underway.
While international status has been granted to Pilanesberg Airport, and central government has stressed that only one international airport per province (apart from Gauteng which has two) will be allowed at present, this is a regulation which is certain to become flexible in the future, say officials.
You have to address this type of issue with a futuristic outlook, says Brian van Niekerk, executive director of the National Inter-Departmental Structure for Border Control (NIDS).
We are looking right now at a system which controls the number of airports into which international travellers and goods can flow. By restricting the numbers it allows for control while we get our own operations into gear. But we cannot restrict everything if there is to be future development. In 20 years time the situation will demand more openings. So we have to be flexible, and where the need arises and the facilities are there, international status will have to be considered.
The North West government requested international status for Pilanesberg because of its tourism situation. But Van Niekerk has made it clear that when Mafikeng's facilities have been upgraded to full international standards, the prospect of it being the second international airport in the same province will be given serious consideration.
Pilanesberg's runway has been extended to allow it to handle larger aircraft such as MD80s, A320s and DC9s. These are commonly used by international charter tourist services, but are not able to make non-stop long distance flights from destinations such as Europe and the United States. The airport, at the same time, cannot accommodate the bigger Boeing and Airbus carriers.
Mafikeng has the facility with the second-longest runway in the country, but is being primed at present to handle repairs and maintenance duties for the larger international aircraft. It also plans to establish a training school.
We still have customs control facilities here, and the airport still operates with international status which has never been officially removed, says Petru Naude, manager marketing and planning for the project team of African Airport Redeployment Consortium (African ARC), who won the tender for the repositioning of the airport's infrastructure.
We are going ahead with our planning of the construction of a multi-modal transport, industrial and business park that will generate employment and develop the aviation industry in the region, she says.
Naude agrees that Pilanesberg is currently the hub for leisure and tourism travel, but does not have the facilities for cargo or other operations.
African ARC is a partnership between the Barolong Boora Tshidi Tribal Authority and the China-South Africa Trade and Investment Promotion Centre.
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