Swazi minister calls for lifting of EU aircraft ban

SWAZILAND’S NEW billion rand international airport, scheduled to open in 2009, will indeed be the white elephant its critics claim if the EU does not lift its ban on Swaziland-registered aircraft, says Minister of Transportation Elijah Shongwe. For the first time since assuming his post four years ago, Shongwe took an official tour of the current airport at the Matsapha Industrial Estate last week, where he made his remarks. If the EU ban on Swaziland-registered aircraft is not lifted, Swaziland “could forget” about representing SADC at the 2010 International Civil Aviation Organisation conference, Shongwe lamented. Mozambique has been representing SADC up to now. Passengers flying on Swaziland-registered aircraft do so at their own risk, the EU advises travellers. The first step to legitimising the registration process is to give autonomy status to the Civil Aviation department within the Transportation Ministry, creating a new Civil Aviation Authority. The runway to the Sikhupe Airport, which is at least an hour’s drive from Mbabane, has been completed, and is guarded by soldiers who have placed rocks on the tarmac to discourage its use by drug runners and other mischiefmakers. Air industry sources contacted by FTW said that while it was important for Swaziland to get its aviation house in order to legitimise Swazilandregistered aircraft and to reassure passengers about safety, the viability of the new airport does not depend on its use by Swazi aircraft. “The country’s planes are all short haul aircraft, for commuters to Jo’burg, Durban and Maputo. They won’t be flying to Europe. It is European, Asian and American aircraft that will be coming from the north, hopefully using Swaziland as a regional hub,” said one source.