Lanseria International Airport (LIA) will invest between R1-billion and R1.5-billion in airport infrastructure and in the area surrounding the airport over the next five years, says LIA CEO Rampa Rammopo.

LIA is owned by a consortium of three groupings, namely government’s Public Investment Corporation, the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund and a consortium of four black empowerment groups.

The grouping acquired the privately owned airport in 2013.

Black ownership is at an estimated 62%.

A ten-year infrastructure plan, up to 2028, has the objective to unlock 90 ha of vacant land around the airport, in order to maximise revenue, says Rammopo.

One of the projects just completed under this plan is a R210-million multistory parking garage, as well as retail space linked to this parkade.

The new parking garage takes the number of parking bays at the airport from 3 200 bays to 4 200 bays.

Still underway is a project to expand the terminal building, which will grow yearly passenger capacity from the current 3-million passengers a year to 4.5-million passengers a year.

Actual yearly passenger numbers were 2.3-million in 2018, up from 1.6-million passengers five years ago.

Construction on the terminal expansion project started in February and will be completed in March next year.

The project will add additional boarding gates, and check-in counters, a new baggage handling system and new security check points.

LIA is not planning much work on the runway or other airside facilities, says Rammopo.

The only project is to upgrade the Bravo taxiway to allow for a dual taxiway system, and to accommodate larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A310.

Infrastructure projects still in the pipeline include a new fuel depot to increase jet fuel capacity from the current 1-million litres to 4.5-million litres.

The environmental impact assessment for this project has already started, with project completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2021.

A new boutique hotel with 100 to 120 rooms is also on the cards before 2024, as well as a 20 000 m2 office block.

There are also plans to address congestion at the drop-off and pick-up area, as well as to accommodate Uber vehicles.

New Carriers
There are currently three carriers operating from LIA, says Rammopo.

FlySafair, Mango and Kulula fly to four destinations, namely Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Zanzibar.

“We are planning on increasing the number of operators,” notes Rammopo.

“We are looking at regional operators, especially, in the short to medium term.

“We are talking to Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia about point-to-point routes, such as Gaborone to Lanseria.

“By mid next year we’ll hopefully be able to make an announcement on one or two of these routes.”

Rammopo says LIA is targeting 4-million passengers a year by 2022, and 6-million by 2028.

He says that LIA is not in direct competition with OR Tambo International Airport but acts as a complementary airport – “like Gatwick to Heathrow”.

“We are more of a low-cost airline airport. Gauteng is a big market.”

Rammopo regards the establishment of a Gautrain link to Lanseria as a “potential game changer”.

While such a link is indeed part of the Gautrain’s proposed expansion plan, it is, however, only due in the last phase of the project.

“We are trying to convince them to bring it forward, and I hope we can succeed in doing so,” says Rammopo.