King Shaka International shifts towards new normal
Management at King Shaka International Airport says while the immediate focus is on reviving traffic, there also has to be a shift towards a new travel environment of the future.
The sentiment is in response to the travel norms brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday the airport resumed domestic flights for essential and business travel purposes.
Addressing the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government leaders and the media on the state of readiness on Wednesday, the airport's Terence Delomoney says the future of travel must now include a contactless environment - which means revising their budget.
"We have to look at our budgets and cut our budgets and reduce expenditure because the revenue streams have dried out. We have to look at alternative revenue streams. We have to look at certain areas of the airport that we might not be able to use so that we close that off.
"There are various things that we are doing to reduce our costs, and where are the other opportunities so that we can get the business running again."
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Meanwhile, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala says local government needs to go back to the drawing board and strategise a new plan to save the aviation industry.
He noted that the industry had taken a massive knock due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Zikalala says the impact of the virus has forced them to relook at strategies put in place to support both international and domestic airlines.
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"We would, therefore, need to re-strategise note for the sake of theorising, but to emerge with packages that would make all airlines that fly here to re-stimulate their economy and to ensure that they grow again.
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He says they are still convinced that the plan to build a globally competitive Durban Aerotropolis is a good one.
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