King Shaka International Airport playing major role in KwaZulu-Natal economy
Airports Company South Africa has highlighted that May 1 marked the sixteenth anniversary of Durban’s King Shaka International Airport (KSIA), which is now the country’s third-busiest airport.
KSIA is KwaZulu-Natal province’s main international passenger gateway and a major benefit for the provincial economy.
“[KSIA] is a critical asset of the regional economic activity in the province, supporting not only tourism growth and global connectivity but strengthening trade flows,” highlighted KSIA regional GM Nkosinathi Myataza. “Its evolution over the past 16 years is a testament to sustained investment and to the conviction that an airport’s measure is not only the number of passengers it handles but the breadth of opportunity it creates for the communities it serves.”
During the 2025/26 financial year, passenger traffic reached 92% of pre-Covid levels (or 5.6-million passengers, compared with 6.1-million in financial year 2019/20). Air traffic movements reached 89% of the pre-Covid level (40 935 compared with 50 753).
The Durban Direct initiative, which sought to develop new air routes to and from KSIA, has increased the number of carriers and connections, for both passengers and cargo, boosting tourism and wider economic activity in the province.
During the 2025/26 festive season, over 1.2-million visitors passed through KSIA (a 19% year-on-year increase), 194 000 of them international tourists. Domestic tourists generated economic activity worth R6.1-billion, while international visitors added R1.5-billion. More than 14 000 jobs were directly supported by these tourists.
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