Durban International Airport (formerly
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
Airport) was the international airport of
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
from 1951 until 2010, when it was replaced by
King Shaka International Airport
King Shaka International Airport , abbreviated KSIA, is the primary international airport serving Durban, South Africa. Located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately north of the city centre of Durban. The airport opened its doors to passen ...
, to the north. The airport is co-located with
AFB Durban
AFB Durban is an airbase of the South African Air Force, located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The runway is shared with the (now defunct) Durban International Airport (since September 1956). The airbase is at the northern end of t ...
.
History
The airport was opened in 1951, replacing the
Stamford Hill Aerodrome. The original name of the airport was
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
International, named after the South African statesman. The airport maintained this name until 1994 when the political changes that came with that year in South Africa resulted in a change of name to Durban International Airport. While the airport served the domestic market well, the airport suffered from low international passenger numbers and a runway that was too short for a fully laden
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
to take off.
Due to the short runway and the hub and spoke policy that was adopted in the 1990s (favouring
OR Tambo International Airport
O. R. Tambo International Airport is an international airport situated in Kempton Park, Gauteng, Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and since 2020, ...
in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
), Durban lost almost all of its international traffic.
Plans to move the airport to
La Mercy
La Mercy is a suburb of the eThekwini municipality about north of Durban, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of ...
, approximately north of Durban International Airport, were proposed and shelved numerous times between the 1970s and 2007,
before construction of what was to become
King Shaka International Airport
King Shaka International Airport , abbreviated KSIA, is the primary international airport serving Durban, South Africa. Located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately north of the city centre of Durban. The airport opened its doors to passen ...
began in September 2007. Construction of the new airport was completed in 2010, with Durban International Airport handling its final flight on 30 April 2010 and all flights transferring to King Shaka International Airport in a single, overnight move.
Accidents and incidents
* On 30 June 1962, a
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s ...
(registration ZS-BMH) operating a scheduled
South African Airways
South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destin ...
flight from
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
to
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
collided with a
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
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Harvard trainer. The DC-4 made a successful emergency landing with 46 passengers and 5 crew; the Harvard trainer crashed with its crew of two parachuting to safety. The DC-4 was subsequently repaired.
* On 28 December 1973, a
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
(registration ZS-DAK) operated by Executive Funds lost both engines when turning onto final approach and ditched in the Indian Ocean. One passenger drowned out of the 22 passengers and 3 crew.
*On 26 November 1981 a hijacked Air India B707-300 (registration VT-DVB) was forced to land at the airport. The plane had been hijacked by mercenaries fleeing
an abortive coup in the Seychelles. After freeing the 79 passengers and crew the mercenaries surrendered.
* On 18 June 2008, a
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
Boeing 737-200 registration ZS-OKD (operated by
Comair), operating as
Flight 6203 from
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, skidded off the runway while landing under adverse weather conditions. The aircraft was reported to have hit a wet patch on the tarmac, causing it to skid and resulting in the right landing-gear becoming embedded in the surrounding earth. The incident caused the closure of the airport for both arrivals and departures for several hours. All 87 passengers and six crew members escaped without serious injury.
* On 24 September 2009,
Airlink Flight 8911
South African Airlink Flight 8911 was a positioning flight from Durban International Airport to Pietermaritzburg Airport, South Africa, that crashed into the grounds of Merebank Secondary School, Durban shortly after take-off on 24 September 20 ...
crashed in the suburb of
Merebank shortly after takeoff from Durban International Airport, injuring its crew of three and one person on the ground, with the pilot subsequently dying of his injuries in hospital.
Plans
The airport was used by the
South African Air Force
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and the
Police Air Wing during the
2010 FIFA World Cup
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, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, before being decommissioned.
Although it is currently unclear as to what the future usage of the airport site will be, it is widely expected that the site will be used for future industrial development. The site is located on a large parcel of flat land in the
Durban South Industrial Basin
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, which is already home to much of the city's heavy industry; given Durban's generally very hilly terrain, such a large, flat parcel is ideal for future industrial development, port expansion, or both. Ownership of the airport was transferred from the
Airports Company South Africa
Airports Company of South Africa Limited (ACSA) is a partially state owned South African airport management company. Founded in 1993, ACSA operates nine of South Africa's airports. The company is headquartered at Aviation Park, Western Precinct ...
to
Transnet
Transnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on 1 April 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department ...
in 2012, for the construction of a dig-out port. In 2017, it was reported that plans for the dig-out port had been placed on hold until "at least 2030".
No provision was made during the planning and construction of KSIA to accommodate the
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
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base at DIA, thus
AFB Durban
AFB Durban is an airbase of the South African Air Force, located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The runway is shared with the (now defunct) Durban International Airport (since September 1956). The airbase is at the northern end of t ...
,
15 Squadron and related support units are still operating from this airport.
See also
*
List of airports in the Durban area
The following are airports serving the Durban area.
List
See also
*List of airports in South Africa
This is a list of airports in South Africa, grouped by type and sorted by location.
Most of the largest airports are owned by the Air ...
References
External links
Aerial Photograph on Google Maps
{{Passenger airports of South Africa
Buildings and structures in Durban
Transport in Durban
Airports in South Africa
Airports established in 1951
1951 establishments in South Africa
Defunct airports