Transport MEC: Polokwane airport is solely reliable on customers
Transport MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya said the department will market the Polokwane International Airport to ensure that it is used to its maximum capacity.
POLOKWANE – The MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya delivered the department’s budget vote speech at the Limpopo Legislature on Tuesday (March 29) where she encouraged residents in the province and other South Africans to make use of the safest mode of transport available between Polokwane and Johannesburg.
“The existence of the airport is solely reliant on customers and through our engagements with Limpopo Tourism Agency, we will market the airport to ensure that the facility is used to its maximum capacity for the benefit of the province,” she said.
Lerule-Ramakhanya said the airport is back in full operation after commercial activities were suspended in early 2021 due to a downgrade by the civil aviation authority.
Read more: ‘Little emergency back-up’: Airlink suspends Polokwane airport flights
“It took the Gateway Airports Authority Limited (GAAL) about five to six months to fix the identified risks and as we speak the airport is fully compliant and ready for the challenge.”
Lerule-Ramakhanya said Gaal will receive R73.331m for the 2022/2023 financial year to manage and maintain the operations of the airport and the airport license.
“Even though it is evident that the allocated budget will not sustain all operations in the airport, we will make sure that the downgrading of the facility and the grounding of flights does not happen again,” she said.
Read more: ‘No more excuses’ as MEC introduces Gaal revival team
Lerule-Ramakhanya said Limpopo’s economy is open for business and that travel and trade is the best way to earn revenue. Read more about the department’s budget in the Polokwane Observer.
