Heidelberg to have an airport
Plans to convert Heidelberg Aerodrome to an Airport City kicked off when the Aerodome was officially handed over to MTP Aviation Solutions on February 12.
Executive mayor of Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM) Clr Lerato Maloka opened the proceedings and said that LLM is proud to partner with MTP Aviation Solutions who comes with a vast amount of experience in developing aviation solutions.
The project worth approximately R7-billion was labelled the biggest investment in the Sedibeng District.
“Lesedi is a town of potential and the airport development is part of the emerging focus of LLM to take the municipality forward and to create job opportunities, specifically for the people in Sedibeng and Lesedi,” Maloka said.
This year is marked phase one of the project and will mostly involve planning. It is expected that phase two will continue to 2025.
The development of the airport includes a runway, passenger terminals, cargo solutions, Category 9 H and S Tower and a trade zone aimed at import and export through cargo.
Sedibeng and the West Rand were marked as growth areas of the future.
Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Fikile Majola also attended the event and spoke about the importance of winning the fight against Covid-19.
“When the project commences, we must be healthy and ready to appoint people from our local community,” Majola said.
“The Heidelberg Airport project is a top-class infrastructure development to invest in the economy of Heidelberg and is committed to local job creation.”
Petko Atanassov, chief executive officer at MTP Aviation Solutions, presented to guests the proposed plans and phases of the project and confirmed that the current private aviation management will continue to form part of the airport.
During a media briefing, he was asked about the BBE status of the company and he answered that MTP Aviation Solutions is not a BBE company due to the number of international investors.
“We are proud to partner with the Heidelberg community and come with years of executive experience in aviation projects and solutions. We are committed to recruiting local people for the duration of the project. The Heidelberg Airport will secure local job creation for at least 20 years,” Atanassov concluded.
