‘Durban needs a general aviation airport’ says Virginia Airport operator
The way to help general aviation is to support, invest and improve it, not get rid of Virginia Airport, says Daryl Mann, an operator at the airport.
DARYL Mann, owner of Aero Natal said the City of Durban is killing general aviation with discussions around the redevelopment of Virginia Airport.
His remarks comes after the City council approved the advertising of a call for an ‘Expression of Interest’ to develop the airport.
According to eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Mandla Nsele, the City will in the next few weeks open the tender process inviting proposals from interested private investors and developers.
Read also: City to open tender process over Virginia Airport’s redevelopment
Mann, a Glen Anil resident and general aviation businessman, who has led a legal fight against the City for long-term leases on behalf of Virginia operators, said the decision goes against the constitution of the country.
“The way to help general aviation is to support, invest and improve it, not get rid of Virginia Airport.”
“If the City says the airport is not viable, why don’t they make it viable by investing in it? The City is killing Virginia Airport and with it, general aviation. The emphasis now should be taken off what could possibly happen to the site until such time as a suitable alternate has been found, and I don’t think there is a suitable alternate site. Until such a time there is a viable option then you can discuss what to do with the site. All we would like from the City is security of tenure.
“The constitution states that every City in SA should have a general aviation airport, so the City would be going against that by removing us. It’s very difficult to get people to invest when there is so much uncertainty surrounding the future of the airport. We want that security and if it means moving to get it, we will move, but we can’t move to nowhere. We feel somebody should exhaust the idea of finding an alternative and if there isn’t a site that suits general aviation, then we need to realise the airport is not going anywhere. I would rather see the City spend money on the airport for the upkeep and maintenance of Virginia. The importance of an airport so close to the City cannot be overstated. We’ve never said we won’t move, we’ve asked for constructive dialogue to find a solution and a way forward. The city has not sought our opinion on the matter and we consider ourselves to be experts in the aviation field,” he said.
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