South Africa’s Upington Airport isto be developed as a cargo hub, to enablethe movement of cargo into andout of most of South Africa’s key tradeareas faster than is currently possibleusing Johannesburg, Durban and CapeTown.

Upington Airport in the NorthernCape is small, but it does a brisk businessin cargo – everything from livesheep and goats to cars and miningequipment, as well as grapes.

Up until 1996, Boeing 747s used toland at the airport, which SAA usedas a refuelling station for flights toLondon and Zurich. For this reason,a 4,900- metre runway – the longeston the African continent – was built toaccommodate a 747 with a full load ofpassengers, cargo and fuel.

While Upington’s airport serves as adiversion airport for Cape Town, andNamibia’s Windhoek and Walvis Bay,the facility is currently under-utilised.

The facility is a fully fledged internationalgateway with full 24/7 security. Itstwo runways can accommodate aircraftof all sizes.