Swaziland Airlink (Manzini King Mswati III International) will transfer its operations from Manzini Matsapha to the recently opened Manzini King Mswati III International on September 30 following a directive from the Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA).
Airlink is currently the only scheduled commercial operator at Matsapha with multiple daily flights to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo.
“The Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA), as the airport operator, has informed Swaziland Airlink and the nation that the Matsapha airport will soon be closed for all commercial operations and that King Mswati III will take over as the airport from which commercial operations will be conducted into the future," Swaziland Airlink General Manager, Teddy Mavuso, told a press conference last week.
Renamed King Mswati III International Airport upon its commissioning earlier this year, Manzini Sikhupe Int'l has proven to be very controversial given its USD150million price tag.
While the Swazi government has touted the new airport as an alternative to Johannesburg and Durban King Shaka, no international airlines have yet expressed a commitment to use the facility leading to concerns it will become a white elephant.