Plans are under way for Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport (HDS) to be operated under an international airport licence.
“We are in very early stages of discussions with relevant stakeholders who are responsible for issuing an international licence,” Esmaralda Barnes, Chief Operating Officer of Eastgate Airport, told Travel News.
HDS shares its facilities with the SANDF, and the rules and regulations stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) will also have to be complied with for the issuing of an international licence. These implementation processes take time, explains Barnes.
“Suffice it to say, the announcements made by the Limpopo Province and the Mayor of Maruleng show support and a necessity for HDS to be issued with the international licence,” says Barnes, who estimates that the licence could be confirmed by the end of 2024.
Notable demand
HDS is located at the border between Mpumalanga and Limpopo and is 68km from the Kruger National Park’s Orpen Gate and 74km from the Phalaborwa Gate. A hundred and fifty flights with more than 7 000 passengers transit through its facilities every month. Currently, Airlink, CemAir and private charters are using the airport.
In a statement from the Limpopo Provincial Government, it was noted that the decision to operate HDS as an international airport was informed by the number of passengers using it each year.
“Before the COVID-19 disruptions, the airport saw more than 71 000 passengers through its facilities, with over 75% of these being international tourists from Central Europe and the Scandinavian countries.” Most of them land in Cape Town and proceed to Hoedspruit Airport, which is the gateway to the Kruger Park and many other attractions in the eastern part of the country, continued the statement.
Close competition
HDS is approximately 150km from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA), which has international airport status. KMIA received its first intercontinental flights in November 2022 when Lufthansa began thrice-weekly flights from Frankfurt. However, the airline could not sustain the route, and in April 2023, it discontinued the flights.
A Frankfurt-based Lufthansa spokesperson told Travel News’s sister publication, Tourism Update, that the expected demand had simply not materialised, despite the Kruger National Park being a major destination.
“For international inbound I’m sure there would be scope for at least a seasonal service directly to the park,” comments Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer of FlySafair.
For every widebody that arrives in Johannesburg, there are only so many of the people on that aircraft who will head to the park immediately or at some point during their visit, says Gordon.
“A large part will not intend to go to the park at all and either move on to Johannesburg or the rest of the country, so the question is whether that ‘park portion’ is big enough to justify its own flight into that airport. What will be key in doing this will be partnering with an airline, or two, or three who will be prepared to operate the routes,” he says.
In addition to passengers travelling to and from the Kruger National Park, Barnes says there is potential for travel via HDS into neighbouring countries.
“I believe that airlines will schedule direct flights from HDS to regional places such as Mozambique, Botswana, Harare, Vic Falls, and St Helena. We will rely on the tourism industry to market the beautiful Kruger National Park and surrounding areas to see where it will be viable for airlines to make decisions on introducing routes to other countries,” concludes Barnes.
