Home | News | E230M FOR STATE JETS HANGARS AT KMIII AIRPORT

E230M FOR STATE JETS HANGARS AT KMIII AIRPORT

07/11/2020 23:57:00 BY MFANUKHONA NKAMBULE

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SIKHUPHE – State jets parked at King Mswati III International Airport are exposed to inclement weather conditions.

As a result, government needs E230 million for the construction of hangars and a workshop at KMIII International Airport that would house two jets for royalty and other aircraft that would utilise the facility.

A hangar is a large building with an extensive floor area, typically for housing aircraft. They are used for protection from the weather, direct sunlight and for maintenance, repair, manufacture, assembly and storage of aircraft. In simpler terms, a hangar is a garage-like structure.

Dr Thambo Gina, the Minister of Economic Planning and Development, said the construction of hangars was a significant project that should be undertaken with urgency. He conceded that parking the airplanes in an open space compromised the lifespan of the assets. He said the project was in the pipeline, and government was totally aware of its significance, and urgency.

The Times SUNDAY can reveal that the construction of a hangar and workshop at KMIII airport was deferred by government. Reasons for deferring the projects, whose total estimated cost was to be E230 million, could not be ascertained.

Although the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development is responsible for the construction of the KMIII airport, the building of the hangar and workshop was given to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport for implementation.

Khangeziwe Mabuza, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said she hadn’t been privy to the hangar project since she joined the ministry. She swapped positions with Makhosini Mndawe, who is now the principal secretary in the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)’s office.

The construction of the airport and link roads cost E5.82 billion as at March 31, 2019.

KMIII International Airport was officially opened on March 7, 2014 by His Majesty the King. There are two main airplanes parked at the airport - His Majesty the King’s private jet - an Airbus A340-300 (Siyinqaba 2) and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 (Siyinqaba1).

The airbus arrived in the country on April 13, 2018.

The jet was bought for E200 million. His Majesty used the jet for the first time on April 23, 2018, when he went to attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Double Troika Summit for Heads of State and governments of the regional body in Luanda, Angola.

Plans to buy His Majesty a new jet came after ex-Members of Parliament (MPs) said the twin-engine McDonnell Douglas DC-9, which was impounded in Canada for about six months, would no longer be safe for the King as no one knew if someone tampered with its features.

The ex-legislators made this submission during the tabling and adoption of a draft resolution of Parliament’s House of Assembly on the impounded State aircraft in March 2015.

The former parliamentarians said as much as they were happy that the Canadian Courts had ordered the release of the aircraft, they were very sceptical about its condition and safety.

aviation experts concur

Experts from Allsite Structure Rentals said an airplane that was not protected from weather conditions would age much faster and not operate as efficiently as one that was housed in a hangar. They said durable airplane hangars should be designed to withstand heat, cold, snow, ice, and wind so that the aircraft remains in excellent condition.

Aviation experts said hangars should be built with sturdy PVC-coated polyester, with the fabric tensioned both horizontally and vertically for the best fit along the frame.

If stored inside, the airplane’s finish will remain in much better condition and need fewer paint touch-ups. As an added benefit, the airplane is protected from dirt, dust, and insects, and that reduces maintenance costs.

Allsite’s airplane hangars, they said, are also available with heating systems to help keep the airplane in optimal condition. In colder climates, keeping an airplane in a hangar will make flight preparation a lot easier in the winter and keep the engine and oil in better condition.

President Dhlamini, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC), referred enquiries about the hangar project to the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

He, however, hinted that the hangars would not keep the State’s jets only but all airplanes landing at KMIII International Airport. He said there were some aircrafts that landed at Sikhuphe for various reasons such as refuelling, emergency precaution, etc.

luxury flight also affected

Another aircraft that parks at KMIII International Airport is the Royal Jet from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The international luxury flight services provider partnered with RENAC.

The bulk of Royal Jet’s business activity is luxury air charter services, fixed base operations, aviation consultancy services, aircraft management and aircraft maintenance services.

This partnership was viewed as one of the many initiatives by RENAC, as mandated by the government of the Kingdom, to revive the aviation industry in the country and to stimulate activity at the KMIII International Airport.

The private airplane parked at Sikhuphe provides the following charter benefits–

It is not part of the scheduled agenda provided by airlines;

When one charters a flight, he or she renting an aircraft for his own use and on his schedule.

The aircraft is under lessee’s temporary control, and determines all the details. He decides flight times and destinations, and chooses who comes with him on his flight.

Provision of flexibility;

Dhlamini said such airplanes also needed the hangars. He did not want to expand on this subject as he felt it was outside his corporation’s terrain at this point in time.

King Mswati III International Airport is regarded as the kingdom’s flagship facility in the nationwide infrastructural investment envisioned by His Majesty to facilitate economic growth to a first world status level. KMIII International Airport is located on flat terrain with good visibility. The airport complex is arranged in a public precinct of buildings which includes the terminal building, cargo building and various support buildings and public parking areas.

According to the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority, the airport is a visual statement and symbol of Eswatini as a country, a modern building set in extensive gardens of visual texture and colour with glazed curtain walls that blur the boundary between building and landscaping.

The terminal building is designed to accommodate 360 000 passengers annually and process about 300 passengers an hour, while the parking area caters for 200 vehicles, in a modern facility designed to international standards.

The terminal is designed to meet the functional expectations of the traveller and presents a sophisticated gateway into Eswatini.

The 14 000 terminal receives passengers into large multi-volume departure and arrivals halls that scoop natural light into the heart of the building.

ESWACAA states that the state-of-the-art facility is capable of handling two jumbo jets simultaneously to the safety and security standards required internationally and other large aircrafts (Code E aircraft (Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Airbus 340) and three Code C aircraft (ERJ135).

The waiting lounge is located in a large spatial volume that supports two embarkation gates with a choice of duty free shopping. From this lounge the waiting passenger has a view of the runway and aircraft movements. The terminal building is capable of meeting all the current flight and passenger projections and is also designed to meet the future needs of the airport to expand and absorb projected future air passenger and cargo demands for the region.

The 1 200m2 Cargo Building is capable of managing the current cargo projections efficiently and is designed to expand according to the airport’s future requirements.

King Mswati III International Airport, operated by the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority, is truly the strategic gateway to Eswatini and the surrounding region for tourism and trade, people and cargo.