Upgrading and building airports in South Africa is fuelling commercial and residential property developments, according to a leading property commentator.
Gerhard Kotzé, chief executive of ERA SA property group, said: "Airports and their expansion still generate mixed reactions but there's little doubt that the economies of surrounding areas benefit.
"South Africa has extensively upgraded its airport infrastructure recently in terms of international and regional feeder services.
"Unsurprisingly, the biggest investment has come from Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), which has now come to the end of a R17-billion development programme, including the commissioning of new terminal buildings at OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport and KwaZulu-Natal's King Shaka International airports, among others."
Kotzé said smaller, private airports were now following Acsa's lead.
These include Lanseria International Airport near Johannesburg and Wonderboom near Pretoria, where industrial development worth an estimated R8-billion is taking shape near the two sites.
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