President Jacob Zuma says airline SA Express will make King Shaka International Airport a regional hub.
|||King Shaka International Airport is to become a regional hub for flights into neighbouring countries by airline SA Express, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.
Zuma made the announcement at the official opening of the Dube TradePort near King Shaka.
The airline would soon start flights from King Shaka into Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique.
Zuma did not provide any details, and SA Express spokeswoman Lulu Bam could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last month, Air Mauritius said it was cancelling its service into Durban, leaving only Emirates, which offered a direct flight to Dubai, and Air Mozambique, offering direct flights to Maputo.
While Zuma praised the establishment of the Dube TradePort and King Shaka International, he criticised those behind their promotion.
“You have not marketed King Shaka and Dube sufficiently,” he said.
Once completed, the facility would boast an international airport, a cargo terminal, warehousing, offices, a retail sector, hotels, and an agricultural area.
The airport, opened in 2010 before the Fifa World Cup, had 4.9 million passengers in 2010/2011 financial year.
Zuma urged the airport, some 35km north-east of Durban, to market itself as an international destination.
KwaZulu-Natal premier Zweli Mkhize said a feasibility study was being done to determine how to link the Dube TradePort and the airport to rail networks. He said consideration was being given to a light rail network that was independent of existing rail networks in the region. – Sapa