The Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) has
claimed that five airlines have signed deals to use Sikhuphe International
Airport when it eventually opens – but two of the airlines named do not exist.
SWACCA, aided by the Times of Swaziland newspaper, have been talking-up the potential for success of
the airport, dubbed King Mswati III’s ‘vanity project’.
The airport, which has been steeped in controversy since construction
was first mooted 10 years ago, remains uncompleted. King Mswati confidently
announced it would open in 2010 and various other completion dates have been
given since.
No non-Swazi airline has announced that it will use Sikhuphe
when it does eventually open.
Now, the Times
reports that five airlines have signed Bilateral Air Service Agreements with
SWACAA. But, two of those it names - Abu Dhabi Airways and Turkey Airways - do
not exist.
The Times
reported that Botswana Airways was the latest airline to join ‘the bandwagon’
and say it will use Sikhuphe.
Sabelo Dlamini, SWACAA’s Marketing and Corporate Affairs
Director, is quoted saying four airlines had confirmed that they would connect
through the airport which is expected to be operational before the end of the
year.
The Times also
quoted ‘an official from SWACAA’ saying the airport might be completed next
month (April 2013). There would then be three months’ of testing before the
airport received a licence to operate from the International Civil Aviation
Authority.
The building of Sikhuphe has been controversial because
there is no obvious need for it. Swaziland already has an underused airport at
Matsapha and no needs-analysis was ever completed to demonstrate why another
airport should be built.
Most of the impetus for the building of the airport has
come from King Mswati, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, and
is keen to show that his kingdom is on its way to becoming a ‘first world’
nation.
Estimates for the total cost of Sikhuphe – including the
airport itself, roads that need to be built to reach it, and other expenditure
associated with it, have reached
US$1 billion.
In the national budget last month, Finance Minister Majozi
Sithole announced an extra E220 million (US$73 million) is to be spent in the coming
year on Sikhuphe .
Meanwhile, only E125 million is to be spent on free primary
education in Swaziland.
See also
AIRLINK FORCED TO USE KING’S AIRPORT
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