The Eastern Cape Department of Transport officially handed over the Mthatha Airport to the National Department of Defence and Military Veterans during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Minister Lindiwe Sisuslu and Premier Noxolo Kiviet at the Mthatha Airport on Monday 21 May 2012.
In terms of the Memorandum the Ministry of Defence and Military will utilise the airport for a period of five years for its training and military services, whilst the commercial operations, activities and developments at the Mthatha Airport shall continue uninterrupted, with the Eastern Cape Department of Transport remaining the licence holder for the commercial operations therein.
Speaking during the hand over ceremony Premier Noxolo Kiviet said This is a clear demonstration that indeed, the 2012 to 13 financial year is a year of Implementation and Action which marks a new beginning in rolling out over R100 billion on investment in economic infrastructure that will change the face of the Province of the Eastern Cape forever for the benefit of millions of our people in and outside of the province.
“This project, as part of the Presidential Intervention Programme in the King Sabatha Dalindyebo Municipality, is meant to address spatial development disparities and in repositioning this region as a tourist, investment and development hub in the Eastern Cape for the benefit of many rural and underserved areas of our Province” said Kiviet.
This initiative forms part of the Mthatha Airport Upgrade Project, which is in line with the Blue Skyway Aviation Strategy of Provincial Government and the King Sabata Dalindyebo Presidential Intervention Project.
MEC for Transport Thandiswa Marawu said the Blue Skyway Aviation Strategy seeks to improve the potential of the Bhisho and Mthatha Airports, as well as to bring new life to the rural airstrips within the province.
The Terminal Building upgrade project is expected to improve the airport’s capacity as the department continues to lobby and negotiate with more airlines to service the route between Mthatha and Johannesburg, as currently only scheduled flights by Airlink are on this route as well as between Mthatha and Durban.
The department also intends to have a service between Cape Town and Mthatha, via Port Elizabeth and Bhisho, flights between these strategic economic centres then become necessary to fulfill the vision of a regional airport as a gateway to the region.
According to the department the project will enable government to unlock the economic growth potential of the region and the province as a whole as it provides access to the internationally renowned Wild Coast and other historic heritage sites.
It is one of the mega projects that will feature at the Eastern Cape Transport Infrastructure Investment Conference later this year, which will include other infrastructure projects that were pronounced by both President Jacob Zuma in the State of the Nation Address and Premier Noxolo Kiviet in the State of the Province Address. Other key projects linked to the Mthatha Logistics Hub include:
- The N2 Wild Coast Road
- Wild Coast Meander Road
- Kei Rail Rolling Stock Acquisition linked to rail connection project between Mthatha and Kokstad.
- Mzimvubu Dam Project
This logistical hub will not only serve transportation and trade for this region but on a local level becomes the next urban centre as we deliberately develop the first of the four nodes of the City of Mthatha.
