An airport transfer with a difference …

The project cargo move of a
lifetime.
That was the relocation of
equipment and materials from the
Durban International Airport (DIA)
to their new home at the King Shaka
International Airport (KSIA) for its
May 1 opening.
It required the same project
management and pre-planning as any
other industrial move, but “it’s only
once in a blue moon” that you can get
involved in the unique
movement of an entire airport,
according to Russell Chappé of
Focus Project Management, the
consultancy appointed do the
planning and execution of the
relocation.
And it had another feature that made
it unique, said Bongiwe Pityi, the
assistant GM of the KSIA tasked to lead
the “Operational Readiness and Airport
Transfer (ORAT)” team.
It was recorded as the first time in
the history of airport relocations, she
told FTW, when the airport operator
– Airports Company of SA(Acsa) –
committed itself to pay the relocation
costs of the furniture, fixtures,
documentation and
equipment belonging to all the
aeronautical stakeholders like the
airlines and ground handling operations.
Another unusual feature in the
move, according to Bruce Lovemore
of Lovemore Bros – a main player
in the relocation and removals team
– was the short six-hour “window
of convenience” when the final
movements had to be conducted
successfully.
This was the short space of time
between DIA receiving its last
passenger flight on the evening of April
30, and KSIA’s official
opening for operations in the early
hours of May 1.
This final burst of activity saw a
specialised team of officers,
vehicles and air support led by
Commander Sewpersad of the Metro
Police escorting and managing the
convoys transporting the final, critical
airside equipment.
“The airport transfer and
relocation work-stream was one of the
critical core elements of the ORAT
process,” said Lovemore. “When
a matter of hours or minutes can
influence the entire success of such
a project, you have to operate like an
efficient machine conducting
the operation.
Chappé of Focus Project
Management agreed. “The project
was a complete team effort,” he said,
“involving every single stakeholder
linked to the airport operation.”
The record of the entire relocation
exercise speaks for itself, he added.
Over the one-month relocation
period, over 800 relocation
activities were performed. An
estimated total of 367 000-cubic feet
of inventory was moved. This was
made possible by approximately
9 400-man hours and 2 400-vehicle
hours contributed by eight forwarding
companies, 22 new furniture companies
and 10 equipment installers. Over 1
000 car rental vehicles were moved,
consuming over 1 600-hours of
driving time.