By Nangamso Mabindla
8 February 2008

Sudanese student pilots and aircraft technicians will be calling the Bhisho airport home for the next three years after the government of Southern Sudan signed a training contract with the Port Alfred-based 43 Air School on Wednesday, 6 February.

43 Air School is a partner of the provincial Department of Roads and Transport and will be running the aviation school at the airport. According to John Yoh of Sudan, the contract is for training 180 student pilots and 120 aircraft technicians.

"This forms part of the reconstruction of capacity building of our country, which has been involved in civil war for many years," he said. "Our intention is to establish an air force for Southern Sudan,"

The Sudanese delegation also came to see the progress made by the Department of Roads and Transport in upgrading the Bhisho Airport in order to accommodate an advanced aviation training school.

The delegation was welcomed at the airport by the department's MEC, Thobile Mhlahlo, who said he was happy about the developments that were taking place there.

"This proves that the decision we took as provincial government to revitilise this airport was correct. We are looking forward to receiving more students as we expect a group of 19 students from Rwanda in two weeks' time, a group from India by August 2008 and another group from Europe next year," said Mhlahlo

He said that the provincial department expected the movement of aircraft at the airport to increase from 100 to 400 per month.

Spokesperson for the Sudanese delegation, Killa Akujo Janda, called the progress at the airport very good.

"This airport is bigger than our international airport; our country has been engaged in civil war for 21 years, so there is not much infrastructure there. That is why we are very happy with this cooperation with South Africa," said Janda.

"Having students here at the Bhisho Airport is part of the capacity-building initiatives of the South Africa–Government of Southern Sudan memorandum of understanding."

The delegation then moved on to the Office of the Premier, Nosimo Balindlela.