MBABANE – Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA) is targeting to attract E12 billion in investment and 20 000 jobs by 2037.
This comes as the authority seeks to transform King Mswati III International Airport into a regional economic hub.
The ambitious target forms part of ESWACAA’s proposed Inclusive Business Development Strategy Framework, which seeks to move the airport beyond its traditional role as an aviation facility and position it as ‘Southern Africa’s leading integrated aviation economic hub.’
The strategy was presented by ESWACAA Business Development Manager Richard Dlamini during the King Mswati III International Airport Business Forum held at Business Eswatini offices yesterday.
Under the framework, ESWACAA envisages attracting E12 billion in investment through the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Airport City, while creating 20 000 direct and indirect jobs by 2037.
The authority also expects the airport to handle 1.2 million passengers annually, with non-aeronautical revenue accounting for 65 per cent of total revenue.
The strategy further targets 100 per cent renewable electricity for airport operations and local small and medium enterprise procurement accounting for 40 per cent of addressable spending.
Dlamini’s presentation framed the strategy around a fundamental shift in the way airports are viewed. ESWACAA says airports are no longer simply transport facilities, but economic engines capable of driving investment, industrialisation, tourism, trade, innovation and employment.
The proposed transformation would move KMIII from a traditional regulator and airport operator towards a commercially sustainable aviation enterprise, while reducing dependence on aeronautical revenues such as landing fees, passenger charges and aircraft handling. Instead, the strategy seeks to develop diversified non-aeronautical income streams. These include commercial property, an Airport City, retail, hospitality, parking, advertising and renewable energy. The strategy identifies six broad themes: Commercial excellence, sustainability, infrastructure development, partnerships, innovation and inclusive economic development. At the centre of the framework are eight strategic pillars designed to provide the structure for the transformation.
The first is commercial sustainability, through diversified revenue streams that reduce dependence on regulated aviation charges. The second is ESG transformation, which includes the development of a green airport, solar energy, carbon reduction, waste management and stronger governance and ESG reporting. The third is the Airport Economic Zone, under which airport land would be transformed into an integrated economic ecosystem incorporating the SEZ, logistics parks, industrial parks, warehousing and business parks. The fourth is local economic development, with emphasis on SME development, local procurement, community investment, skills development and tourism promotion. The remaining four pillars focus on the capabilities needed to make the vision operational. These are operational excellence, infrastructure development, strategic partnerships and institutional excellence. Infrastructure priorities identified in the strategy include an Airport City, cargo village, solar farms, hotels, a sanitary landfill, business parks and an aviation academy.
