VIRGINIA Airport operators walked out en masse of a City committee meeting for the re-development of the Virginia Airport site this morning. According to Darryl Mann, owner of Aero Natal and spokesman on behalf of the airport’s operators, City officials showed up 30 minutes late to a meeting they had convened. What’s more said Mann, the officials then asked for more time to ‘re-arrange the room’, which had not be properly set-up.

Last year, the City said the airport would be replaced by a R6.1-billion development which would comprise of a hotel, upmarket residential houses as well as leisure and related developments. Operators were told they would be given a three year lease after which time they would have to move to Scottburgh on the South Coast.

“This was just ridiculous, the City officials should have ensured the room was ready before the meeting. It was disrespectful and totally unacceptable to show up late to the meeting they had convened. I would like to point out that Virginia Airport is not going anywhere until suitable accommodation for the airport is found to serve the City. We have rejected the proposed move to Scottburgh because it is just ridiculous,” he said.

The City has postponed the meeting until next year and are awaiting a report from the Treasury department to finalise their findings about the re-development of the site.