The Eastern Cape provincial government on Friday handed the Mthatha airport site over to contractors for the start of a R60-million upgrade.

Eastern Cape Premier Mbulelo Sogoni and Eastern Cape MEC for Roads and Transport Gloria Barry handed the site over to lead contractors Osmond Lange and Ikemeleng Architects, which were working together in a joint venture.

Eastern Cape Department of Road and Transport spokesperson Ncedo Kumbaca told Engineering News Online that four other consultants, namely Clarence Bopi and partners, ASC Consulting Engineers, Ngilo & Ngilo and Africa Dynamics, had also been appointed to the project.

The upgrade will include a second tarred runway, an extended VIP lounge, as well as curio shops and restaurants, among other things.

The project formed part of the province's Blue Skyway aviation strategy, which aimed to improve the potential of the Bhisho and Mthatha airports, as well as to bring new life to rural airstrips within the province.

A R78-million upgrade at the Bhisho airport had been completed in August.

The province on Friday also launched the Airport Renaming process for the airport, which would be led by the Eastern Cape Geographic Names Committee.

Meanwhile, Sogoni and Barry launched the operations of Africa's Best 350 bus services in the King Sabata Dalindyebo, Mhlontlo and Nyandeni municipalities, where 16 new 65-seater buses have started operating.

This forms part of phase one of the provincial government's multi-million programme to provide safe and reliable public transport in the former Transkei region.

The Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Transport in March signed a R107-million black economic-empowerment deal with Africa's Best 350 and a consortium of financiers.

The bus operator will eventually operate a fleet of 175 buses on 166 routes in the Alfred Nzo, OR Tambo, Amathole and Chris Hani districts. The department expected all buses and routes to be operational by early 2010.

The Department of Roads and Transport provided R43-million of the funding of the project, with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation contributing R2,5-million, the Development Bank of Southern Africa providing R10-million, the National Empowerment Fund R3,5-million, the Industrial Development Corporation R15,5-million and Scania Finance contributing R32-million.

Scania and Volkswagen would provide maintenance on the buses for the first five years of the seven-year contract, while they provided training for the bus operator's technicians.