Hoedspruit Airport
Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport. Image: Regina Hart / flickr

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Hoedspruit Airport plans to operate internationally

Limpopo’s Hoedspruit Airport (HDS) has revealed plans to operate as an international airport in the near future.

18-12-23 15:14
Hoedspruit Airport
Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport. Image: Regina Hart / flickr

HOEDSPRUIT AIRPORT TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL HUB

With an eye on an international airport licence, Hoedspruit Airport plans to launch international flights after high demand.

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According to Travel News, Esmaralda Barnes, Chief Operating Officer of Eastgate Airport revealed that they were already in very early stages of discussions with the relevant stakeholders who are responsible for issuing an international licence.

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Barnes said that the implementation processes to be done by the necessary authorties would take time, however.

“Suffice it to say, the announcements made by the Limpopo Province and the Mayor of Maruleng show support and a necessity for HDS to be issued with the international licence,” Barnes stated via Travel News, estimating that the licence could be confirmed by the end of 2024.

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MORE ACCESSIBILITY FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS

A statement from the Limpopo Provincial Government, disclosed that the decision to operate Hoedspruit Airport as an international airport was due to the number of passengers passing through its doors each year. 

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“Before the Covid-19 disruptions, the Airport saw more than 71 000 passengers through its facilities, with over 75% of these, being international tourists from Central Europe and the Scandinavian Countries.” the statement said.

The majority of them land in Cape Town, and proceed to the Hoedspruit Airport, which is the gateway to the Kruger Transfrontier Park and many other attraction sites in the Eastern Part of the Country. The international license will be an added advantage to both the tourism and agricultural sectors, which are the mainstay of the Maruleng and the Provincial Economy.”

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