Pietermaritzburg Airport
Pietermaritzburg Airport (IATA: PZB, ICAO: FAPM) is the primary airport serving the city of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, including the Midlands and the outer west areas of Durban. Pietermaritzburg Airport is the only airport in the greater Pietermaritzburg area that offers scheduled passenger services. In 2013 the terminal building and apron were upgraded. A new airport situated 10 km from Pietermaritzburg which will accommodate wide bodied and freight aircraft is being planned. This will make air travel more affordable for air travelers and the freight port will make Pietermaritzburg an export leader with regional and international exports being possible.[1]
Pietermaritzburg Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Msunduzi Local Municipality | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Company South Africa | ||||||||||
| Serves | Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Midlands, South Africa | ||||||||||
| Location | 2 Pharazyn Way, Oribi, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,423 ft / 739 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°38′48″S 30°23′54″E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  PZB Location of Airport in KwaZulu-Natal | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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In 2020, Pietermaritzburg Airport was among one of the few airports authorised to open for domestic travel by the South African government in relation to the relaxing of Covid-19 lockdown measures.[2]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Airlink | Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo |
Aeronautical information
Navigational aids
| Type | Identification | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| NDB | OBI | 280 |
| NDB | ORI | 441.74 |
| NDB | PU | 407 |
| NDB | PZ | 257 |
| VOR | PMV | 117.9 |
Communication
Communication Frequency 122.0 MHz
Notes
The airport has Pilot Controlled night landing facilities. The lights are normally off and are switched on for a period of 15 minutes when Aircrew transmit 5 or 7 clicks in rapid succession on the communication frequency, depending on the intensity required (30% or 100%). Cloud break procedures are authorised onto runways 16 and 34, the procedures are fairly complicated due to the hilly terrain surrounding the airport.
Other activities at the airfield
- There is an Aero-club on the airfield (Called "Pietermaritzburg Aero" Club).[3]
Traffic statistics
| Year | Passengers | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 59,199 |  2.0% |
| 2011 | 95,875 |  62.0% |
| 2012 | 102,688 | 7.1% |
| 2013 | 109,897 | 7.0% |
| 2014 | 125,836 | 14.5% |
| 2015 | 129,848 | 3.2% |
References
- "PMB airport gets makeover – SA News". Archived from the original on 7 March 2014.
- "More airports open for South African travel". Business Tech. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- "Welcome – Pietermaritzburg Aero Club".
- http://www.msunduziinvestmentconference.co.za/download/documents/PMB%20Investment%202015.pptx