GEORGE NEWS - Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier has expressed his disappointment on Twitter that George Airport is not one of the airports in South Africa that will be allowed to resume operations on Wednesday 1 July.
His Twitter thread reads: "We note the announcement by Minister of Transport, @MbalulaFikile , that @georgeairport isn't ready to open for business travellers & cargo under Alert Level 3 as they haven’t met the minimum health standards required.
"This is a huge disappointment as @georgeairport is a critical transport link to the Garden Route District for many business travellers across South Africa. Opening the airport is important to the safe and responsible recovery of our economy in the Western Cape during Covid-19.
"We still need to determine why this decision was made by the Minister of Transport, but we will continue to work with national government, Airports Company South Africa and the George Municipality to address any outstanding issues preventing George Airport from opening."
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced today that seven domestic airports will reopen on 1 July. They are:
- Bram Fischer International Airport;
- Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport;
- Pietermaritzburg Airport;
- Port Elizabeth International Airport;
- Richards Bay Airport;
- Skukuza Airport; and
- Upington International Airport.
George Airport’s exclusion from the list is a huge blow for the Garden Route economy.
OR Tambo and Lanseria International Airports in Johannesburg, King Shaka International in Durban, and Cape Town International have been open for three weeks.
Air travel is only permitted under special circumstances including business travel.
This is a developing story and journalist Eugene Gunning is awaiting official comment from Acsa George.
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