Upgrade for Polokwane airport
Dirk Nel
26 November 2004
Polokwane International Airport in Limpopo is to undergo a R30-million upgrade to meet increasing demand from tourists and exporters.
The upgrading process, made possible by R30-million grant from the provincial government, will include the construction of new terminal buildings, larger freight and cold storage facilities, and the establishment of a conference centre.
The airport, formerly part of a military air base, has operated on a limited budget since being taken over by the provincial transport department in 1995.
One of 10 airports in South Africa with an international licence, the airport has 22 scheduled domestic flights a week, and about 500 unscheduled charter and cargo flights a year.
"In line with our vision of being recognised as a transformed and successful world-class international airport, we are ready to set new standards of excellence in 2005", said Patricia Tharage, general manager for marketing and planning at
the airport.
"There's a demand to expand and create facilities that will attract visitors to Polokwane", Tharage said.
However, the services to be offered would be affordable, convenient and accessible, designed to meet the needs of all clients, from tourists to demanding importers and exporters, she said.
"Starting with the introduction of larger aircraft and more frequent scheduled flights on the Polokwane-Johannesburg route in 2005, the airport will be called upon to handle larger numbers of people daily", Tharage said.
As an introductory offer, she said, return flights to and from Johannesburg International Airport would cost only R890, with early morning flights in both directions, for business executives, also on the cards.
The carrying capacity of the daily flights would increase dramatically, she added, and the in-flight service would be the best available. Apart from improved comfort on larger capacity flights, travel time from Polokwane to
Johannesburg would be reduced to a mere 40 minutes.
"With its new, highly motivated management team, Polokwane International Airport Limited aims to be a commercially driven organisation, committed to delivering excellent economic and social benefits for all its stakeholders", said Shadrack Ramosa, the airport's CEO.
The upgrade is expected to open up opportunities for Limpopo's agricultural sector to export its products directly from the province, instead of through Johannesburg.
Source: BuaNews
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