Sikhuphe International Airport, Swaziland

In 2003 the Kingdom of Swaziland embarked on construction of the $150m Sikhuphe Airport project as part King Mswati III's $1bn millennium project investment initiative to enhance Swaziland's position as a leading tourist destination in the region.

The airport is being built to serve as the country's only international airport. Swaziland is currently serviced by Matsapa Airport, which can only handle trans-Atlantic or inter-continental flights and serves largely as a charter airport for small regional carriers such as SA Airlink.

Minister of Economic Planning and Development Prince Hlangusemphi said they were looking forward to the participation and support of all the friends of Swaziland in the project.

"The team of ambassadors have airlines in their countries and these are the countries we are targeting because they have big airlines that also operate in Africa. They have a wealth of experience in this regard and we want to see how they can encourage their people to use our facilities," said Prince Hlangusemphi.

He added that he was confident that they will deliver the airport on time, in accordance with the set deadline of March 2010.

Sikhuphe Airport design

The new airport will comprise of a 3,600m CAT 1 runaway together with connections taxiway apron, terminal building, ATC tower, fire station, police station, fuel farm, supporting building, access roads, security fencing and others. The airport is expected to handle 300,000 passengers a year.

A decision on airport operations will be made in time for the preferred operator to influence the design of the new terminal building. To ensure the timely implementation and innovation to the project, it was recommended that a build-operate tender be issued. This approach was to ensure that interested contractors look for credible operators in order for their bid to be considered.

As construction commences, the operator together with the PMU, will engage in a vigorous marketing campaign for the airport, with the aim of attracting traffic into the new airport. A master-planning document that will be bankable to both donors and investors has been produced as a tool for accessing finance for the project.

Construction

Construction on the bulk of airport services and the runway were scheduled to start during 2003/4. The design review of the terminal building scheduled completion for 2004/5.

This represents phase I, which comprises infrastructure and buildings in the new airport. At present the development of detailed design and tender documents have been completed by Arab Consulting Engineers. The designs have been evaluated by both advisors and the PMU. The necessary amendments have been made and the designs are complete. The runway is 90% done.

Proposals have also been submitted to modify the roof design of the airport to reflect Swazi architecture at a reasonable cost to the government. It is also proposed to change the layout of the airport, resulting in a significant reduction in cost without compromising ICAO or any other international standards. If the government accepts these changes, the cost of the airport will be reduced.

The airport construction also involves the resettlement of local villagers in the Sikhuphe area. New houses to be built for residents starting in 2004 continuing into 2005.

Airport capacity

Once completed Sikhuphe Airport will operate as an international hub with the capacity to handle Boeing 747 aircraft and service flights to any destination in the world.

The airport is intended to serve as a tourism gateway to the Kruger, Maputo, Kwa Zulu Natal, Victoria Falls and Swaziland's game parks.

Funding

Funding for the airport will be drawn from the $1bn millennium fund. This funding is not enough for the full extent of the project and the government has embarked on an aggressive campaign to raise further funding.

A $1m feasibility study was awarded to the Egypt-based Arab Consulting Engineers. Swaziland's economic planning principal secretary, Ephraem Hlophe, confirmed that the consultants would develop a detailed implementation and funding model for the proposed airport.