Delta Built Environment Consultants (Delta BEC) was appointed by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) to update the Master Plan for King Shaka International Airport (KSIA), which replaced Durban International Airport and supports the Dube TradePort development. Originally designed based on a 1973 plan, KSIA aims to provide an environmentally sensitive, socially and economically balanced approach to future growth. The update is crucial as only the ACSA-owned property remains without a comprehensive development plan, making it essential for guiding future developments.

The project, spanning almost two years and executed in seven phases, began with the setup phase, establishing processes for stakeholder engagement and project execution. The strategic scan phase sought to identify potential issues impacting the Master Plan, while the strategic planning objectives phase involved crafting a vision that reflects ACSA and stakeholder needs through workshops. The baseline phase included an aviation demand forecast and an assessment of existing infrastructure. Following this, the macro-options phase developed high-level Master Plan options, leading to the preferred option phase, where shortlisted options were refined through a multi-criteria assessment process. Finally, the detailed preferred option phase outlined the infrastructure, facilities, and utilities necessary for the preferred plan, ensuring it aligns with the airport’s operational and strategic objectives.