TNPA expects to buy airport land next year

Transnet National Ports Authority is committed to building a 14-berth container terminal at the premises of the old Durban International Airport. With a memorandum of understanding having been signed between the organisation and Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) for the purchase of the land, the process is currently in its pre-feasibility stage, said Vishaal Lutchman, deputy chief engineer for the Transnet National Ports Authority. According to Lutchman the intention is to create access to the sea and build a container terminal to ease the pressure on the Port of Durban. “We are under no illusion that this will take time and money but we can say that we are committed to seeing this project off the ground.” He said Transnet was expecting to purchase the land by next year in order to start working on the various environmental and other impact studies. “It is difficult to put an exact time frame on this project but from a demand perspective it is important that we start as we have major demand to meet. We would like to see it become a reality in the next ten years.”