The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has approved a conceptual framework for a multibillion-rand aerotropolis project, anchored by a new runway and dedicated logistics hub adjacent to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.
The initiative, detailed in the Mandela Bay Aerotropolis and Logistics Gateway brochure, aims to establish an intercontinental air gateway on 450 hectares of unused municipal land southeast of the existing airport, integrating air, sea and inland port functions to serve manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and marine sectors.
As reported in The Herald , the plan cleared its first council hurdle during a recent economic development committee meeting, where acting trade and investment director Jeremy Dobbin presented the framework. It revives long-standing discussions on airport-driven economic zones, modelled after the successful King Shaka International Airport aerotropolis, and Dube TradePort in KwaZulu-Natal. The Mandela Bay Development Agency has been mandated to identify potential partners, funders and transaction advisers to drive the public-private partnership model.
