The chairperson of the Grahamstown Flying Club has called for the privatisation of the local airport in the wake of news that a R412 million commercial airport will soon be completed in Somerset East.
The chairperson of the Grahamstown Flying Club has called for the privatisation of the local airport in the wake of news that a R412 million commercial airport will soon be completed in Somerset East.
Disappointed club chairperson Ron Weissenberg urged Makana Municipality to sell the Grahamstown airport "because they don’t have the expertise or resources to run this airport – they are simply clueless”.
Somerset East's new airport, to be completed later this year, will serve as a regional tourism hub and could significantly boost the economy of the region.
Meanwhile, Weissenberg said he proposed numerous times that Makana Municipality transform the Grahamstown airfield into a commercial airport, but his idea "kept falling on deaf ears".
“What is being done in Somerset East is exactly what I’ve been proposing to the Makana Municipality over and over again for years but to no avail.
"If that idea could be feasible in Somerset East, then I don’t see why it couldn’t have been feasible in Grahamstown.”
Weissenberg said the runway lights at the airport have been out for over a year.
The Makana Municipality was failing the city and should consider handing over ownership, he added.
“They should sell it to a private consortium or do just like they did with Settlers Hospital and make a private-public amalgamation, because they know nothing about this industry.”
“Makana can’t even provide basic services to the people so how can they run an airport?”
Weissenberg is furious over Makana's handling of his proposals for the development of the airport, which he says has resulted in the idea being snapped up by another town.
He said the Grahamstown Flying Club paid rent at the airport, but it was the only lucrative tenant and that this did not generate enough revenue for the maintenance of the airport.
Municipal spokesperson Yoliswa Ramokolo said the Makana Finance and Corporate Services portfolio committee chairperson, Pierre Ranchhod, was not reachable for comment.
At the time of going to print Ramokolo was also still trying to track down Mzomhle Radu, head of Makana's electricity department, to comment on the airport's non-functioning runway lights.
Meanwhile, the Somerset East airport, which is 160km from Port Elizabeth and 60kms from the Addo Elephant National Park, is expected to meet high demand for air transportation during major annual events held in Somerset East, including the Biltong Festival and Bruitjieshoogte cycle race.
The airport will also provide the northern gate of the Addo Elephant National Park with a closer air-based gateway.
The Blue Crane Development Agency (BCDA) has facilitated the establishment of a flying school at Gill College and other schools in the Blue Crane Region Municipality to offer pilot training to pupils as an extra-curricula subject.
The airport is also expected to assist safari operators by accommodating the needs of air travel tourists to and from the region.
The project was started in 2007 and is awaiting the completion of a main runway, said to be 65% finished. Once completed, the airport would be the fifth operational airport in the province.
