New R22.6 billion international airport in South Africa

The development of the proposed Vaal Aerotropolis is pressing ahead, with the project now seeking environmental authorisation.

Headed by Vaal Aerozone, the project aims to establish a new special economic zone (SEZ) centred around an international airport in the Emfuleni Local Municipality south of Johannesburg.

The proposed development area for the project stretches across parts of 13 farms and is situated 9 km west of the N1 highway and the industrial city of Vanderbijlpark.

The Vaal Aerotropolis will reportedly be the only airport in Gauteng with integrated air cargo services designed and planned as a priority.

According to Vaal Aerozone, it will feature a two-terminal design with state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, as well as a large-scale agri-zone.

“The aim of the Vaal Aerotropolis is to serve as a driving force and strategic investment for economic growth and global trade,” Vaal Aerozone said.

“This development aims to serve as a key freight and logistics hub, thereby revitalising Emfuleni and creating sustainable value in the region.”

The Sedibeng District Municipality has estimated the total cost of the project at R22.6 billion, with the airport alone accounting for R12.2 billion of that.

12,000 jobs are expected to be created during the project’s construction, followed by 6,000 permanent jobs for the aerotropolis’s operation.

The development will take place in three phases over 60 years and will include an international airport, cargo terminal, airport city, solar farm, agri-zone, and trade zone.

Each phase is designed to progressively expand the airport’s capacity to meet growing demand, with Vaal Aerozone now applying for environmental authorisation of Phase 1.

This phase will establish the project’s core infrastructure, including a 4.2 km runway designed for Code F aircraft and two rapid-exit taxiways.

It will also include a passenger terminal with an annual capacity of 7.2 million people, and a cargo terminal capable of handling 150,000 tonnes of freight per annum.

The planned airport city will host a hotel with over 90 rooms, as well as premium office spaces and medical consulting facilities.

The history of the project

The development of the Vaal Aerotropolis forms part of the larger proposed Vaal SEZ, which aims to restore the Vaal Triangle to its industrial heights.

The SEZ was first announced by former Gauteng Premier David Makhura during his State of the Province address in February 2020.

Planned projects included developments at Vaal Marina, Savannah City, and Vaal River City, as well as logistics and mining investments in the Heidelberg region.

At the time, Makhura said he hoped these projects would attract R40 billion in investment to the Vaal Triangle’s economy.

In 2023, Citibank SA pledged R1.38 billion in financing to build and develop the first phase of the Vaal Aerotropolis.

The bank said its investment would act as a catalyst for further investment in the region, which it believed would total 30 times its initial investment over multiple decades.

Former Gauteng MEC of Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, told SABC News in 2024 that the new airport would see total investments of R200 billion.

The veracity of this statement was scrutinised, with critics saying it would be impossible for an airport to cost as much and speculating that this cost covered the entire SEZ.

Critics pointed to the construction of the King Shaka International Airport in KwaZulu-Natal, which cost R6.8 billion between 2007 and 2009.

Earlier this year, the Department of Trade, Industry and Commerce held public consultations on the planned designation of the Vaal SEZ.

Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi told community stakeholders and local entrepreneurs that the development would drive reindustrialisation and restore manufacturing to the Vaal area.

Vaal Aerozone published a background information document on the aerotropolis on 30 September as part of its application for environmental authorisation.

It has called on concerned parties to partake in the public participation process by submitting written comments to the environmental assessment practitioner, EMS Africa, before 2 December.

These comments will be incorporated into the final environmental scoping report, which will then be submitted to the Gauteng Department of Environment.

Construction of the first phase of the Vaal Aerotropolis is planned for 2029 to 2031, with the airport scheduled to open for operations in 2032.