Aviation News South Africa

Sisulu: SANDF to take over Mthatha airport

According to DefenceWeb, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is preparing to take over the running of the underutilised Mthatha (formerly Umtata) airport in the Eastern Cape. Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said that the SANDF would run the civilian airport for the next three financial years.

"Depending on how the Defence force feels about it, we might extend it further." Cabinet found the airport to be a very good investment as it would open up the Eastern Cape for additional investment and create jobs, she said.

Speaking to reporters prior to her budget vote in Parliament last week, Sisulu explained that the decision was taken by Cabinet after being approached by the Eastern Cape government. The province, she said, had begun the refurbishment of the Mthatha airport in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, but were unable to continue operating the airport and "approached central government to see if they were willing to take over and run the airport on their behalf." Sisulu said that the refurbishment of the airport would have to be completed, DefenceWeb reports.

Read the full article on www.defenceweb.co.za.

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