On May 1st, 2010 the City of Durban opened a brand new airport: King Shaka International. I had the pleasure of arriving there on Day #2 of operation – May 2nd. And on this busy afternoon you could hardly tell that you were at an airport. Curious onlookers made a trip to the airport not to travel, but to stroll it’s terminals lined with shops, restaurants and entertainment.
My departure from Durban on May 8th was also it’s official Grand Opening. South African President Jacob Zuma was coming to cut the ribbon to make the airport official.
His ceremony was scheduled to begin at 11:00 A.M., just as my plane was lifting off. So I was close to meeting The President of South Africa – but not really.
The new airport was built from scratch in preparation for the 2010 World Cup Games next month. It is impressive. The new runway is 3.7 km long – 1.3 km longer than the old airport. It’s capable of handling an Airbus A380 and 7.5 million passengers annually. The parking garage can hold 6,500 cars!
So who was King Shaka? When I arrived at the Durban airport on the 2nd I asked my taxi driver this same question. He responded by saying, “Ahhhh, I forget man”.
I later learned that he was a very revered Leader of the Zulu People. He helped shape the warrior mentality and instilled courage, bravery and strength among his people. The airport has a statue of King Shaka
Okay, it was still covered up for the official unveiling. You’ll just have to make a trip to the new airport to see it for yourself!
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