This was despite continued
claims that airlines from across the world wanted to use the airport at
Sikhuphe built at an estimated cost of US$250 million in the wilderness in southeastern
Swaziland about 70 km from a major city.
Sabelo Dlamini, Swaziland
Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) Marketing and Communications Director, told
the Observer on Saturday newspaper
(14 July 2018) a number of presentations had been made to airline services, but
so far none had agreed to fly into the airport.
The Swazi Government also failed
to launch its own airline called Swazi Airways. It was claimed it would fly to 10
countries once it had become fully operational.
The destinations were the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia,
Rwanda, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana. The airline
closed for business in April 2017 when it became clear the tiny kingdom
could not afford a single aircraft. Even so, E20 million (US$2 million) had
been spent on leasing a 29-year-old Boeing 737-300 that never once flew
commercially. In addition, an estimated E750,000 a month was paid to 23 airline
staff who had no work to do.
There has been constant misinformation about the
prospect of airlines choosing to use the airport. In October 2009, King Mswati
claimed Etihad Airways from the Gulf State of Abu
Dhabi was showing ‘deep interest’ in using the airport.
In May 2011, the Swazi
Observer reported Sabelo Dlamini
saying, ‘We have established possible routes which we want to market to the
operators. Some of the proposed routes from Sikhuphe are Durban, Cape Town,
Lanseria Airport in Sandton, Harare and Mozambique.’
In June 2012 he told
Swazi media that at least three airlines from different countries
had ‘shown interest’ in using the airport, but he declined to name them. He remained
optimistic about the prospects for the future and said SWACAA was
talking to airlines in other countries as well.
Then in February 2013 SWACAA Director General Solomon
Dube told
media in Swaziland, ‘We are talking to some including Kenya Airways,
Ethiopian Airline and various Gulf airlines.’
In March 2013 SWACAA
claimed five airlines had signed deals to use the airport when it
eventually opened, but an investigation
by Swazi Media Commentary revealed that two of the airlines named
did not exist. It also said Botswana Airways would use the airport, but it did
not.
In October 2013 SWACAA claimed it had targeted
small and medium business travellers to use the airport. It said
low-cost airlines were interested in using it for business travellers who might
want to fly to nearby countries ‘on a daily basis’.
In March 2016 Minister of Public Works and Transport
Lindiwe Dlamini said
Air Mauritius would fly from the airport.
In January 2016 the Swazi Observer reported Swazi Air
was ready to fly to Dubai, Cape Town, India and Durban.
KMIII Airport was built on the whim of King Mswati,
who rules Swaziland as one of the world’s last absolute monarchs. No research
was undertaken to determine the need for the airport.
Critics argued for years that there was no
potential for the airport. Major airports already existed less than
an hour’s flying time away in South Africa with connecting routes to Swaziland
and there was no reason to suspect passengers would want to use KMIII airport
as an alternative.
During the 11 years it took to build the airport was
called Sikhuphe, but the name was changed in honour of the King when it
officially opened in March 2014.
The airport cost an estimated E2.5 billion (US$250
million) to build.
In October 2013 a report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
said the airport was widely perceived as a ‘vanity
project’ because of its scale and opulence compared with the size
and nature of the market it sought to serve.
Since it opened only one commercial passenger airline,
Swaziland Airlink, which is part-owned by the Swazi Government, has used the airport.
The airline was forced
to move from the Matsapha Airport, even though an independent
business analysis predicted the airline would go out of business as
a result.
See also
AIRPORT
MOVE WILL ‘BANKRUPT AIRLINK’
PROOF:
KING’S AIRPORT POINTLESS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/02/proof-kings-airport-pointless.html
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