THE ambitious plan to turn the old Durban International Airport in Prospecton into a contributor to the South Durban Basin’s economy remains frozen as two companies battle it out in court over a cancelled lease.
ALSO READ: Government in talks with Sapref
Transnet bought the old Durban International Airport site from the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) for R1.8 billion in 2012. This was after ACSA moved the airport to the present King Shaka terminal in the north of Durban in 2010.
Fast forward to 2022, the airport lies deteriorating while Transnet and Seaworld Aviation Services are locked in litigation after Transnet cancelled a 10-year lease it had signed with Seaworld in 2017. Seaworld had planned to inject R200 million into the airport and reopen it to flights again, but those plans hit a snag after Seaworld found various companies already occupying the terminal as tenants, leading to a fallout with Transnet. The matter ended up in court after Transnet terminated the lease in 2018.
An automotive industry employee, who is familiar with what is currently going on at the airport, but is not authorised to speak to the media, said the runway has been used to store cars by a logistics company. He said the current condition of the airport would not allow for flights to resume without spending “hundreds of millions of rands” to refurbish the entire terminal.
“The runways are in no state to accommodate flights anymore and some sections of it have grass growing through the cracks. The paint is peeling on the buildings and everything looks so outdated compared to other operational airports. The companies that currently occupy the premises have also changed a lot of things structurally to fit their operations,” he said.
In 2017, the SUN reported that Transnet said it had no plans to start developments for a dug-out port on the site until at least 2030.
Attempts to reach Aaron Stanger, Seaworld’s director were unsuccessful, as his phone rang unanswered. WhatsApp messages to his phone were read, but had not been responded to at the time of going to press. Transnet spokesperson, Ayanda Shezi, confirmed that the lease was terminated by Transnet and the matter is in court. She said Transnet is still keeping to the long-term plan it set itself for the site.
“The Durban Logistics Hub, as the old airport is now known, is to support the back of port operations related to warehousing, logistics, and automotive supplier park,” she said.
The port was to be the largest container terminal in Africa, creating 64 000 jobs during its construction, and 28 000 operational jobs once completed.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 694 6047.
The South Coast Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram– why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
