RAND AIRPORT - AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE

Rand Airport in capitalising on its excellent location and facilities to lead the post-Covid recovery in general aviation.

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RAND AIRPORT - BOUNCING BACK AFTER COVID

RAND AIRPORT’S MANAGER, Stuart Coetzee, says that in March 2022, the airport’s operations levels were almost back to pre-Covid levels.

Rand is a busy airport, it hosts air charter operators, flying schools and a number of aircraft maintenance organisations, technical training organisations as well as pilot shops and other enterprises.

Under the Covid lock-down, all income generating activities such as landing fees, fuel sales and to a lesser extent parking fees, dried up overnight. In addition the following month tenants stopped paying rent and a number of owners stopped paying their utility accounts. To make matters worse once the restrictions were relaxed and general flying picked up, the fuel supplier reversed the payment agreement of 30 days and demanded payment before accepting an order. Ekurhuleni did not provide any relief, instead it increased the rates and taxes and electricity tariffs and demanded payment, otherwise electricity would be suspended

The Covid pandemic impacted general aviation hard – and Rand had its fair share of the economic damage. A number of long-established businesses such as car rental companies closed shop and many tenants struggled to pay their rent. Sympathetic to their plight, the airport management provided a rent holiday and is helping tenants bring their accounts up to date. Large companies moved out and refused to pay the last month’s rent nor the notice period penalties.