Kenya: Trees felled in protected Imenti forest for airstrip, State Lodge and golf course

Rose Bridger Forests , , , , , , , , ,

Plans for construction of an airstrip, State Lodge and golf course in the protected Imenti forest, an important elephant habitat and water catchment area, are opposed by many residents and conservation organisations. Felling of mature trees for airstrip construction continued despite conservatory orders to protect the forest and halt the projects.

Construction of an airstrip in the Kithoka area of the protected Imenti Forest began in June 2026
Construction of an airstrip in the Kithoka area of the protected Imenti Forest began in June 2026. Satellite imagery: 16/09/2025

Reports that allocation of 50 acres of Imenti forest, near Mount Kenya, for an airstrip, State Lodge (regional presidential residence and official venue for state functions and meetings) and golf course, was under consideration emerged in September 2025. Imenti forest, a protected public forest, is a habitat for elephants and many other species, an important water catchment for rivers and streams and is a source of income from agriculture and honey harvesting. Greenpeace Africa immediately opposed allocation of part of the forest ‘for luxury projects’, arguing that it would violate the Forest Conservation and Management Act, the Constitution and be a ‘betrayal of public trust’. The Green Belt Movement called for an immediate halt to the projects, saying the developments would be a misuse of a conservation area, stating, “How does an airstrip qualify as conservation? How does a golf course protect water catchments? How does a State Lodge restore degraded ecosystems? These projects are not necessary. They are luxuries. They are symbols of privilege. They have no place in a protected public forest.” Project proponents claimed that the developments would attract investors, create employment and enable hosting of high-level government events and international visitors but environmentalists warned that a reduction in forest cover would cause soil erosion, disrupt of water flows, reduce biodiversity and facilitate further forest encroachment and ecosystem fragmentation.

The Imenti Development Forum (IDF), a group of professionals involved in conservation and establishing ICT hubs in schools, issued a press statement opposing the plans, stating, “The Imenti forest is not simply trees. It is one of the region’s most significant repositories of biological diversity- a living library accumulated over millennia that, once destroyed, cannot be rebuilt in any human timescale.” Representatives of two political parties also opposed the projects: Party of National Unity leader Peter Munya and Jubilee Party deputy leader Dr. Fred Matlang’l who said another state lodge was unnecessary as the president already has access to high-speed aircraft and safe, modern hotels. North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood had initially favoured the projects but opposed locating a State Lodge in the forest taking up more than 20 acres of land and suggested locating a golf course elsewhere.

The Meru Environment and Land Court intervened to protect Imenti forest, issuing interim preservation orders pending hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the plans. On 11th June Justice Oguttu Mboya directed maintaining the forest in its current state until a court decision, barring activities that might impact on forest before issuance of further orders. The case was filed by Francis Awino who argued that the projects could cause irreversible damage. He also asked for preservation and disclosure of records connected to the proposed development such as environmental impacts assessments, maps, correspondence, license applications and approvals and planning documentation. The petition stated. “Public forests are held in trust for both present and future generations, and the State bears a constitutional obligation to conserve and protect them.” On that same day machinery entered the Kithoka section of the forest and, protected by security, began felling mature trees. Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi said construction of an airstrip would be completed within a week, by 18th June, with the first plane expected to land on that day. Kenya Forest Service (KFS) rangers had been deployed to guard all entrances to the site and local people entering the forest were frisked to check for smartphones, presumably to prevent recording of activities in the forest.

Conservation charity Rhino Ark issued a statement strongly opposing airstrip construction in the Upper Imenti Forest Reserve and calling on the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to suspend works pending assurance of compliance with environmental laws and criticised lack of the public participation, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ESIA) and a NEMA license authorising the project. Surveys had found that, during the dry season, the Upper Imenti Forest has the highest concentration of elephants in the Mount Kenya area. The airstrip was being constructed within this elephant habitat, close to an elephant maternity area where pregnant mothers migrate to give birth. Greenpeace Africa pointed out that Imenti forest forms part of a wildlife corridor linking Mount Kenya to conservation areas in the north of the country, along which elephants migrate for food, water and mating. Greenpeace Africa said the National Land Commission should “Stop the bulldozers. Respect the court order. Let the elephants keep their dry season home. And prove, for once, that development in Kenya does not have to cost us the things we cannot get back.” The Mount Kenya Trust (MKT) made a statement condemning destruction of part of Imenti forest for an airstrip, maintaining that the project is in violation of Articles 42, 69 and 70 of the Constitution and the 2016 Forest Conservation and Management Act and could undermine Kenya’s commitments to increase tree cover, protect biodiversity and restore degraded landscapes. MKT stated, “We stand with those defending the protection of Imenti Forest and all protected areas for future generations.”

Airstrip site in Imenti Forest. Satellite imagery 11/06/2026
Airstrip site before forest clearance, satellite imagery 11/06/2026
Airstrip site in Imenti Forest. Satellite imagery 13/07/2026
Airstrip site showing forest clearance, satellite imagery 13/07/2026

On 24th June Meru Environment and Land Court issued another interim conservatory order to halt construction of the airstrip, in response to a petition filed by five Meru residents. Petitioners said to the court, “The Respondents have failed to disclose Environmental Impact Assessment reports, feasibility studies, approvals, maps, acreage surveys and other statutory documents relating to the project. The proposed development threatens to cause irreversible degradation and destruction of forest resources.” The following day Meru Environment and Land Court certified an application, filed by Francis Awino, seeking to cite senior officials for contempt of court over allegations of continuing destruction of Imenti forest. In the Notice of Motion, Awino stated “Unless the contemnors are immediately summoned to answer for their actions, the authority and dignity of this Honourable Court shall be undermined…The continued and wilful acts of disobedience are causing and/or threaten to cause irreparable prejudice to the Petitioner’s constitutional rights, public interest and adversely desecrate designated forest.” A supporting affidavit alleged that, in defiance of court orders, prohibited activities continued including: granting commercial contractors, earth moving machinery and workers access to the Kithoka section of Imenti forest; felling mature trees, removing forest vegetation and clearing undergrowth to open up a corridor for a runway; bulldozing, grading and levelling works to prepare the forest floor for runway construction; and surveying forest areas for a proposed State Lodge and golf course. Geotagged satellite images, photographs and videos provided evidence of continued forest clearance. A petition filed by Meru Forest Conservation Forum and Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance resulted in a further conservatory order to halt developments in Imenti forest.

Belatedly, a public participation forum on the projects in Imenti forest was held, but it descended into chaos. The Meru Environment and Land Court had suspended the exercise as a change of venue with just 24 hours notice failed to meet the constitutional threshold for meaningful engagement. Defying a court order KFS proceeded with the forum and a group of stakeholders endorsed the airstrip, State Lodge and golf course projects. A lawyer attempting to serve a valid court order was denied access to the microphone and people presenting a petition opposing the projects that had been signed by more than 7,000 people were jeered at, threatened and removed by security officers. The Standard described the forum as ‘not public participation, but more of a staged exercise to endorse a decision that had already been made’. By 15th July 2026 the online petition, Hands Off Nkunga Forest! Stop the Destruction of Meru’s water catchment area, calling for an immediate halt to plans, surveys and budget allocation for the State Lodge, airstrip and golf course, had garnered 7,114 signatures.[17]

For more information including references for all source material, videos and photos see the case study on EJAtlas, the world’s largest, most comprehensive online database of social conflict around environmental issues – Airstrip, State Lodge and golf course in Imenti forest, Kenya

Ethiopia: Displacement and loss of farming livelihoods for Bishoftu International Airport

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , , , ,

More than 15,000 people are being displaced and losing agricultural and livestock livelihoods for Bishoftu International Airport, ‘Africa’s largest airport’ with an adjoining Airport City. Affected people have concerns about inadequate compensation and resettlement and there are reports of forced eviction, harassment and intimidation.

Bishoftu Airport site, 11th June 2025Bishoftu Airport, 3rd July 2026
Timelapse aerial imagery of Bishoftu International Airport construction site. The 3rd July image shows construction site preparatory works.

On 24th March 2025 Ethiopian Airlines Group (EAG) and African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a Letter of Intent for development of Abusera International Airport Project, USD7.8 billion project on a site about 40 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, near the town of Bishoftu. EAG allocated funds for preparation of a 35 square kilometre plot of land for the new airport, with budgets earmarked for land clearance, resettlement and preparing the site for construction. Demolishing structures and relocating residents was anticipated to be completed by September. Previously, in August 2024, EAG CEO Mesfin Tassew said that construction of what was described as a ‘Mega Airport City’ could only proceed with resettlement of up to 2,500 farmers residing on the site. In January 2025 concerns of affected farmers over inadequate compensation, resettlement and support for finding new livelihoods were reported.

Dispossession in the name of development

Oromia Today responded to the agreement between EAG and AfDB with an article titled ‘Development Draped in Dispossession: The Tragedy Behind the Abuu Seeraa Airport Deal’, focussing on more than 15,000 Tuulama Oromo people, indigenous to the regional state of Oromia, facing displacement for the airport. The article reported ‘families being harassed, homes being marked for removal and livelihoods being uprooted’ with no relocation process and eviction orders ‘delivered by undisciplined militias’. The article called for the AfDB to be held accountable and made three demands:

  1. A thorough re-evaluation of the airport project considering impacts on local people, heritage and the environment
  2. For development in Abuu Seeraa to ‘embody a thoughtful integration’ preserving, not erasing, the area’s history and environment with no forced eviction
  3. Fair compensation for displaced people not just with single payments but via a long-term scheme recognising them as stakeholders in the airport with a share in the project reflecting the value of the land acquired

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report for the airport, now called Bishoftu International Airport Project, was completed on 10th August 2025, several months after reports of resistance to the project had emerged. Major impacts detailed in the ESIA included acquisition of approximately 3,979 hectares of land displacing 2,731 households comprising 15,320 people. The local economy is predominantly rain-fed agriculture and livestock rearing. Common crops include teff, wheat, barley, maize and various legumes including chickpeas, beans, soya beans and peas. Livestock including cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, mules and horses are integral to local livelihoods providing milk, meat and hides. About 2,518 hectares of agricultural land, where staple crops including teff, wheat, and barley are cultivated, will be lost. In addition, 163.1 hectares of grazing land will be affected and the livelihoods of pastoralists disrupted by loss of seasonal grazing lands. Schools, roads, health and water facilities will be lost and cultural and religious sites including several churches will be impacted.

Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP)

A Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) for Bishoftu International Airport, completed on 2nd October 2025, outlines a ‘comprehensive’ framework for engaging relevant stakeholders during pre-construction, construction and operation. The report states a ‘commitment to effective stakeholder engagement to ensure that community voices are heard and considered in decision-making processes’ with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as women, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities. Several serious risks and concerns were identified during consultations undertaken for the SEP. Project Affected Persons (PAPs) highlighted problems including disputes arising from inaccurate land demarcation, concerns over the fairness of compensation, loss of farmland and impacts on and restoration of livelihoods. Young people are identified as a vulnerable group due to worries about unemployment, loss of land inheritance and exclusion from benefit-sharing mechanisms.

Project implications for communities

In November 2025 Global Oda Nabe Association (GLONA), a USA based non-profit, civil society organisation published The New Mega Airport Project in Aabbuu, Oromia, Ethiopia: The Project Implications on Aabuu Communities. Sources from the affected community said neither the government nor EAG had engaged with them to discuss detailed resettlement plans, ‘They do not know when, where, what their rights are, the process involved for relocation, and what their fate will be following the eviction from their ancestral land. So, the affected communities are now in limbo.’ The community sources also said people raising questions and voicing concerns relating to the airport, demanding full disclosure of the project and how it would affect them, in particular regarding compensation for land, were being intimidated. Many concerning environmental consequences were identified such as deteriorating air quality and waste and sewage from the site which might pollute rivers and groundwater.

Reports of forced eviction

In December 2025 The Economist reported that the airport was expected to displace approximately 15,000 people. Reports indicated that some affected residents had received promises of housing but others were in fear of their land being taken without receiving compensation. There were also reports that activists voicing concerns about the project had been harassed and arrested. A January 2026 statement by the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) condemned the planned ‘mega airport’ and adjoining ‘airport city’ as the most recent and serious chapter of displacement spanning many decades, warning of the eviction of 15,000 people from six villages. Despite allocation of ETB17 billion (USD110 million) for resettlement and rehabilitation of farmers, the situation on the ground was reported to be ‘brutal’ with OLF reporting, ‘farmers…have been forcibly ordered, in the manner of war, to leave without harvesting their crops, moving their property, or even selling their cattle’. OLF rejected rehabilitation limited to cash compensation and demanded equity instead of eviction with displaced communities granted equity shares as co-owners of the airport and intergenerational rights extending benefits to landowners’ descendants.

Displacement in the absence of Free, Prior and Informed Consent

The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) issued a statement, ‘Development Without Dignity is Dispossession’, to ‘address the grave and escalating situation’ regarding the airport project. The OFC acknowledged an appeal from the Aabbuu Seeraa community and expressed solidarity with 3,000 households ‘facing imminent eviction from their ancestral lands’. OFC described the displacement, in the absence of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), as a legal crisis, violating Article 40 of the Constitution protecting farmers’ rights to land. A call to action included demands for a moratorium on evictions, institutional dialogue, equity not eviction, cultural protection and due diligence from AfDB to ensure compliance with international human rights provisions pertaining to Development-Induced Displacement (DID). The statement concludes, ‘The Oromo Federalist Congress reiterated that we are not anti-development, we are anti-theft. We are anti-erasure. A project of this magnitude, intended to be the “Pride of Africa”, cannot begin with the shame of destroying the very people who host it.‘

Construction of ‘Africa’s largest airport’ begins

Construction of Bishoftu International Airport began on 10th January 2026. The total cost for phase 1 was stated at USD12.5 billion, accommodating 60 million passengers per year, rising to become Africa’s largest airport with a total capacity of 110 million passengers per year. Reuters reported that some young residents being displaced for the airport were worried because their parents had been given houses but they had not and renting a house is expensive. On 30th January 2026 Oromia Today published an in-depth report, ‘Aabbuu Seeraa: Building Progress on Indigenous Erasure’, decrying the displacement of approximately 15,000 people for the airport, the ‘overwhelming majority’ of whom had not received replacement housing or new livelihoods. People protesting their post-eviction situation had been incarcerated. Communities using social media to document discrepancies between the official account of their displacement and their lived reality were punished. A few new houses had been constructed but about 95 per cent of displaced people had been left without land, shelter or an alternative income. The report called for replacement housing and livelihood restoration before displacement, transparent management of compensation with auditable records, protection of the environment and heritage, sensitivity regarding demographic impacts, permanent stakeholder status for affected people and an independent international assessment to evaluate compliance with human rights standards.

Displaced residents suffer hardship

On 9th February 2026 Addis Standard reported that Abusera residents displaced for construction of Bishoftu Airport were suffering from hardship having received neither the compensation nor replacement housing they had been assured of. An affected resident said she had documentation for three inherited plots, but, since the land was acquired for the airport had not received compensation or housing. She said, “It is not only compensation, even the houses given to others were not provided to us. I am raising my grievance with government officials and I have proof of ownership.” Another resident said he had been displaced from three inherited plots of land, for which he had a court order confirming his ownership, and was living in rented accommodation having difficulties providing for his two children. On 10th February EAG stated it had built housing in Bishoftu for residents displaced by airport construction and livelihood support for had been prepared. Yet some affected residents continued to claim they had not received compensation or adequate support for resettlement. Later that month the Director General of the Petroleum and Energy Authority, Destaw Mekwanant, announced provision of a specific fuel allocation of 16.5 million litres per month for construction of Bishoftu Airport.

For more information including references for all source material, photos and graphics see the case study on EJAtlas, the world’s largest, most comprehensive online database of social conflict around environmental issues – Bishoftu International Airport and Mega Airport City, Ethiopia

Türkiye: NATO Summit in emerging complex next to Ankara Airport

Rose Bridger airport expansion , , , , , ,

Preparations for the 7-8th July NATO Leaders’ Summit in Ankara.involved the opening of a new military headquarters, airport expansion and a new/upgraded road network.

Ankara Airport and Ay Yildiz Joint Command Headquarters
Ankara Airport including runway extension, Ay Yildiz (Crescent and Star) Joint Command Headquarters and parts of the 12.5km new and upgraded road network

Heads of state of all 32 NATO member countries, along with Ukrainain representatives, are expected to attend the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Ankara, capital city of Türkiye, on 7-8th July 2026. The summit will showcase the new Ay Yıldız (Crescent & Star) Joint Command Headquarters, named after the crescent and star of the national flag. Located 15 kilometres west of Ankara the 1,280 hectare complex, larger than many city centres, will host Turkey’s main military institutions including the Defense Ministry, General Staff and the army, navy and air force commands. The NATO summit will be held in the star-shaped part of the campus, prepared specifically for the event and the focal point of a 23,000 square metre ceremonial plaza. Becoming operational in phases, the wider Ay Yildiz campus will ultimately have capacity for 15,000 personnel, the central crescent-shaped building containing five conference halls. Officials have said that Ay Yildiz is larger than the US Pentagon. A new building to host the Foreign Ministry will be constructed next to the military complex. An underground operations centre focused on chemical, ballistic, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) and cybersecurity threats will be located 30 metres beneath the surface.

A new VIP airport

To the north of Ay Yildiz, Etimesgut Aır Base, a military airfield and a main base for the Turkish Air Force, also serving as a training and logistics centre, has been transformed into what some media outlets describe as a new VIP airport for presidents, prime ministers and other high-ranking officials. US President Donald Trump will be arriving for the NATO Summit in his new Air Force One aircraft gifted by Qatar. In the lead-up to the event, just before an opening ceremony on 15th June, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s aircraft was welcomed at the facility, now named Ankara Airport, with a water salute. In time for the summit, over a period of just eight months the runway was lengthened from 2,450 metres to 3,000 metres and widened from 42 metres to 60 metres to handle wide-bodied aircraft. Taxiways have been constructed and a new 160,000 square meter apron has capacity for 44 aircraft. Relocation of the VIP terminal was fast-tracked for completion in time for the NATO Summit and high-ranking visitors can be accommodated in a new 4,800 square metre state guesthouse (an official venue for state functions and meetings). A new parking area is large enough for 310 vehicles.

A new/upgraded road network

The airport expansion project, estimated by the government to cost 10 billion lira (USD320 million), included construction of Baskent Aviation Bridge (Başkent Havacılık Köprüsü) and 12.5 kilometres of new and upgraded roads connecting Ankara Airport with surrounding areas, including a 3 kilometre dedicated connection road between the airport and the NATO Summit venue. Aırport and road expansion impacted on the Ankara Sugar Factory industrial complex, which was established in the late 1950s. Several residential blocks were demolished and some administrative buildings removed. The airport upgrade and road projects have also led to changes to or removal of public transport routes in some neighbouring districts, in some of which, such as Batikent and Eryaman, where residents might experience an increase in aircraft noise.

Pre-summit crackdown

During the lead up to the summit Turkish authorities launched a crackdown on civil society. Protests were banned, along with public gatherings, press conferences and displaying posters. In Ankara, 40,000 police were deployed and on 23rd June 225 people, including academics and activists, were detained on suspicion of links to militants organisations such as Islamic State. Media freedoms were curbed including refusing accreditation dozens of journalists, to the NATO summit. Together with 14 press freedom organisations the International Press Institute (IPI) sent a letter to NATO chief Mark Rutte, calling on the alliance to reconsider the accreditations. One of the journalists whose accreditation was denied, Işın Eliçin of the independent media outlet Halk TV, said, “An unexplained exclusion of journalists restricts media freedom and ultimately the public’s rights…to receive independent information about NATO’s work.” IPI national committee member Uraz Kaspar said, “Every rejected journalist deserves a clear, specific and transparent reason for their denial.” Then, on 4th July, two days before the summit, more than 100 people, members of the TKP (Communist Party) participating in an anti-NATO demonstration in Kizilay Square in central Ankara, were detained by authorities. Protest spread from Ankara to Istanbul where there was a heavy police presence but no clashes were reported.

Niger: Eviction of 26,000 people from settlements surrounding Niamey airport

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , ,

Following an armed attack on Diori Hamani International Airport and an adjacent military base a massive operation to evict about 26,000 people from four surrounding neighbourhoods began.

Diori Hamani International Airport
Diori Hamani International Airport, Niger’s main airport, is located in the southeastern suburbs of Niamey, the capital city

On 31st May 2026 authorities in Niamey, the capital city of Niger, began a massive operation to evict about 26,000 people living in four neighbourhoods – Mutram, Alpha Djadi, Extension Alpha Djadi and Extension Kobontafa – surrounding Diori Hamani International Airport. Residents in the path of demolition machinery dismantled their homes, salvaging iron roofing and other materials. The eviction began without informing them about financial compensation. Nigerien authorities claimed the demolition exercise was necessary, to remove obstacles posing risks for aviation safety and because the settlements are a threat to national security. The airport and Base Aérienne 101, part of the same complex and just 10 kilometres from the presidential palace, are of strategic importance to Niger’s security architecture, hosting important military installations and the headquarters of the Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali Joint Force. Security concerns were heightened in the aftermath of the militant attack on the airport and airbase that occurred on the night of 28-29th January 2026. Nigerien forces killed 20 assailants, four soldiers were wounded and damage to three aircraft was reported. Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack; President General Abdourahamane Tchiani said the attack was an infiltration attempt by ‘mercenaries’ and alleged that the assailants had been directed by external influences.

Residents had only received three and a half weeks’ notice of the impending eviction, several property owners had requested an extension of the notice period before demolitions began, but authorities refused. At a 7th May press briefing the governor of the Niamey region, Major General Assoumane Abdou Harouna, said, “The presence of illegal homes near the airport is not only a factor of congestion but also a serious threat to national security.” Many residents disputed claims by authorities that their settlements are illegal, saying that their acquisition of the land from developers was legitimate, that they have documentation and have invested significant funds to build their homes. The four affected areas occupy 19 per cent of land title No. 784 which was assigned to the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) in 1953. Moves to evict people from the area date back many years, a deadline for eviction of occupants on the land had been set for 5th May 2013 but the plan was not executed. Authorities executing the current mass eviction have acknowledged that there are ‘legitimate victims’ who purchased plots of land in good faith,

On 4th June African Insider reported that thousands of homes were being razed, predominantly to the east of the airport, with evicted people loading furniture and other possessions onto cars and tricycles. Transport and Aviation Minister, colonel Amados Abdramane said this was the area where attacker came from and that it was “occupied in an anarchic way”. Interior Minister, general Mohamed Toumba, said he feared “a new terrorist infiltration through those neighbourhoods” and that lack of security might cause international authorities to downgrade the airport. A civil society figure said, “Forcing 26,000 people to leave is the equivalent of a small town”, adding, “Even if the operations is considered ‘necessary’, whatever the reason, Nigerien law and international standards require strict support measures. Without that, it becomes a forced and inhuman eviction.” A political analyst said, “The government should have taken the social aspect into account and made appropriate arrangements to rehouse those concerned before demolishing the homes they had acquired over many years. Social justice is a demand of the sovereign people.”

Authorities had promised to compensate affected people but on 10th June it was reported that residents had been neither rehoused nor compensated. Justice Minister Alio Daouda said, “The State cannot leave people in the streets” but claimed that the sudden demolitions were necessitated by “security imperatives that cannot wait”. On 16th June 2026 the affected residents’ legal representative, Maître Idrissa Tchernaka, held a press conference in response to the Justice Minister’s announcement that all displaced households would be allocated a new plot of land and receive compensation according to the size and value of the properties they had lost. He said his clients welcomed the authorities’ willingness to provide redress for their abrupt displacement but that their acceptance depended on fair and transparent valuation of their property. Residents welcomed the promise of resettlement but expressed concerns over possible bureaucratic delays and called for the land allocation process to be expedited.

Following the 28th-29th January attack the airport perimeter fence was extended and more than 350 security cameras installed inside and outside of the perimeter. On the morning of 18th June 2026 a second armed attack on Diori Hamani International Airport and the military base took place. Gunshots and explosions were first heard at 5am and continued for several hours. In the afternoon a lock down was imposed with security forces searching vehicles entering and leaving the airport vicinity. The Ministry of Defence stated that 35 people were killed in the attack: 22 assailants, eleven soldiers and two civilians. Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attack and the defence ministry placed the blame on ‘armed mercenaries’ sponsored by France.

Vietnam: Development of dual-use (civilian and military) airport on Tho Chu Island

Rose Bridger Forests , , ,

Conversion of 270 hectares of forest land has been approved for construction of Tho Chi Airport, classified by the Ministry of National Defence as an ‘urgent public investment project’ with an estimated total investment of VND28.8 trillion (USD1.1 billion).

Tho Chu Island, aerial imagery 9th May 2014Tho Chu Island, aerial imagery 18th Feb 2026
Aerial imagery of Tho Chu Island.shows forest clearance, road network development and land reclamation that occurred between 9th May 2014 and 18th February 2026.

Geographically remote from the Vietnam mainland, and home to only 1,800 people, Tho Chu is located about 110km southwest of Phú Quốc Island in the Gulf of Thailand and is part of the An Giang province. Tho Chu is the largest and the administrative centre of eight islands comprising the Tho Chu Special Economic Zone and the archipelago is only accessible be sea. On a November 2025 visit, Party General Secretary and Secretary of the Central Military Commission, To Lam, called for transformation of the newly established zone into a ‘strong and sustainable maritime zone’, directing the Ministry of National Defence and other agencies to develop a master plan with feasibility studies for housing, upgrade of coastal road and other transport infrastructure, water and energy projects, and large seafood logistics and processing facilities. He spoke of the Tho Chu islands’ pristine ecosystems with clean seas, high-yielding fishing grounds, forest cover of 80-90%, sunny weather for seven months of the year and unique landscapes being ideally suited for ‘eco-tourism’. He also urged the Ministry of National Defence to consider construction of a dual-use (civilian and military) airport on Tho Chu Island, initially a 4C airport with capacity to handle narrow-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and A321 with potential future expansion to a 4E airport handling wide-bodied aircraft including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.

Plans for an airport on Tho Chu Island moved forward in December 2025 when Vietnam’s Ministry of Defence submitted a dossier for high-level review. The Tho Chu Airport master plan, for a dual-use airport, serving socio-economic development and transforming Tho Chu into a defence centre for the southwestern sea region, was added to the national airport network in May 2026. With an estimated total investment is VND28.8 trillion (USD1.1 billion) and land requirement of approximately 234 hectares the new airport is anticipated to reach capacity for approximately 20,000 passengers annually by 2030, rising to about 1 million passengers per year by 2050. The approved Tho Chu Airport plan is classified by the Ministry of National Defence as an ‘urgent public investment project’, exempt from investment policy approval and environmental impact assessment processes. The airport project aligns with the An Giang Province 2021-2030 development plan and on 21st May 2026 An Giang Province authorities approved conversion of 270 hectares of forest land for building Tho Chi Airport. The investor committed to pay for planting replacement forest. But newly planted forest is not a replacement for the biodiversity that builds up over time in long-established forest. And aerial imagery, in the timelapse graphic above, shows that, between April 2014 and February 2026, approximately 243 hectares of forest on Tho Chu Island was cleared. Grading works, levelling the site for construction, are underway, along with smaller scale forest clearance for coastal and access road development.

Iraq: Radwaniyah residents protest displacement for Baghdad Financial and Economic City

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , ,

Residents of Radwaniyah, an agricultural area south of Baghdad International Airport, protested allocation of a large land area for Baghdad Financial and Economic City, also referred to a Al-Rafeel City, demanding a halt to planning and construction activities and a comprehensive audit of the investment contract.

Radwaniyah is south of Baghdad International Airport
Radwaniyah is an agricultural area south of Baghdad International Airport. Aerial imagery: 22/11/2025 and 07/04/2026

On 30th May 2026 a major protest erupted in the Radwaniyah district, an agricultural area south of Baghdad International Airport, over government plans to hand over large areas of land surrounding the airport to foreign firms. Local residents and community leaders gathered to issue an urgent call for protection of their property rights and ancestral territories from corporate appropriation. The area allocated for development encompasses land belonging to families who have lived on it for many generations. Ayad al-Jubouri, a Member of Parliament, called on Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi to suspend the investment licence and stop an administrative decree that could lead to forcible displacement of more than 120,000 residents. He said local residents would “prefer death over surrendering their lands”. Protesters demanded a halt to planning and construction activities until verification of the investment contract by a comprehensive legal and administrative audit. The protest followed several critical statements by al-Jubouri, most recently alleging serious corruption orchestrated by the National Investment Commission (NIC) which, he said, had granted an investment licence to an Egyptian firm, giving the developer more than 580 hectares of valuable Radwaniyah real estate for construction of Al-Rafeel, a large residential project.

TMG investment contract and land bank

The day after the protest, 1st June, one of Egypt’s largest real estate development companies, Talaat Moustafa Group Holding (TMG), announced receipt of an investment licence from the NIC for its subsidiary Talaat Moustafa Company Baghdad for development of an ‘integrated urban community’ southwest of Baghdad. TMG also secured a large land bank of 1,280 hectares for the project, ‘strategically located within Baghdad Financial and Economic city’ with direct connectivity to key administrative and financial districts. Infrastructure costs are to be met by investors who are expected to reap significant returns. The project is anticipated to generate about $18.8 billion in sales and annual revenues of approximately $108 million from leasing and hospitality upon completion of the 16-year development period. In addition to approximately 43,000 residential units to accommodate 250,000 residents the project master plan includes about 230 hectares of retail and commercial assets including a ‘regional mall’, offices, administrative space, religious and civic facilities, sports and social club, entertainment venues, parks and green space. Company headquarters, offices and large warehouses will be relocated from central Baghdad, one of the most heavily congested cities in the Middle East, to the new city.

Land ownership and MoU

In the days preceding the protest the NIC emphasised the legitimacy of the new financial and economic city, stating that the project is part of the urban planning framework and consistent with the Baghdad 2030 Comprehensive Development Plan. The NIC stated that the land is government-owned, by the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance and that occupation of the Ministry of Transport land ‘constitutes an unlawful encroachment’ while the Ministry of Finance Land had been transferred to the NIC. Agricultural contracts on the land were declared legally void on the basis that plots had been converted to commercial purposes, The NIC also stated that the Ministry of Resources had confirmed that continued zoning as agricultural land would be unworkable as there is no existing or planned allocation of water for the land designated for the new city. Six months previously, in November 2025 a TMG delegation led by Chairman Hisham Talaat Moustafa had met with then Prime Minster Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani for discussions focused on Al-Rafeel Economic City. Moustafa reviewed progress on the project and affirmed TMG’s commitment to advancing it in accordance with the implementation framework. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for Al-Rafeel Economic City between TMG and the NIC was signed in May 2025 and the agreement includes participation from Saudi Arabia-based Al Muhaidib Group, one of the largest investment groups in the Middle East. The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Mohammed Al Sudani, Hisham Talaat Moustafa and NIC Chairman Haider Makiya and Al-Muhaidib Group.Chairman Suleiman bin Abdul Qader. At this juncture the project was described as spanning 1,400 hectares with about 46,000 residential and mixed-use units.

Land allocation in 2021, forced evictions in 2019

The Council of Ministers approved allocation of 106,000 acres (42,897 hectares) of land in the area surrounding Baghdad Intl. Airport to the NIC to oversee construction of the ‘Al-Rafael’ city project on 15th June 2021, envisaging a new administrative capital similar to counterparts in some neighbouring countries. NIC Chairwoman Suha Daoud Najjar outlined four phases of development, the first providing housing for 300,000 people along with commercial, educational, medical and recreational complexes on 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares). Plans for the second phase included industrial and logistics projects adjacent to the airport and third phase plans were described as ‘environmentally friendly agricultural and food projects’. A fourth phase would be located northwest of the airport in the Abu Ghraib district. Evictions from land surrounding Baghdad Intl. Airport pre-date the 2021 announcement of Al Rafeel city. In July 2019 Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned the seizure of thousands of acres of land near the airport for UAE-based commercial and real estate investment firm Daico International Holdings and other investment firms, following orders issued by the NIC. The report stated that the eviction and forced displacement without compensation violated Article One of the Iraqi Constitution, which safeguards private property and of Article Two which affirms that expropriation is only permitted if it is in the public interest and people are fairly compensated. People affected by the land seizure included a man from eastern Radwaniyah who was told to vacate his 20 acres of land for a businessman said to be close to NIC. Fear of retaliation, in the form of forced displacement or imprisonment, deterred him from taking his grievance to court.

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USA: Petition to regulate health-damaging pollution from commercial aviation

Rose Bridger Campaigns , , , , , , ,

On 4th May 2026 a petition was filed requesting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate harmful aerosol (microscopic particle) emissions from commercial aviation. Every year, commercial aviation injects about 747 million pounds (339 million kilograms) of sulfur into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, along with other pollutants – black carbon, metallic aerosols, and ultrafine particles (UFPs). Aircraft emissions are causing atmospheric alterations. In certain conditions contrails form artificial cloud cover, rainfall patterns are disrupted and a solar dimming haze impairs visibility and reduces the availability of sunlight for the human body’s production of vitamin D, crop growth and solar panels. Sulfates and metals from aviation exhaust eventually settle on land and water, contaminating agricultural soil and watersheds. People living near airports are particularly at risk of damage to their health from higher concentrations of aviation-induced pollutants in localised ‘acute toxicity zones’, which can extend several kilometres downwind of airports. Concentrations of UFPs near airports are ‘catastrophically elevated’; an increase in particle numbers of 100-900% over the background (regional baseline) level extending 18km downwind of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has been documented. Every claim in the petition is derived from peer-reviewed science and government agencies’ own studies and data. The petitioners are requesting a formal finding that emission of pollutants from civil aircraft endanger human health and welfare, binding emission and fuel standards, a public registry of aviation-related particulate emissions and mandatory contrail avoidance, with implementation to be coordinated by the FAA and Secretary of Transportation. If the EPA fails to issue a public response within 180 days the petitioners intend to seek a judicial review. Here is a link to the petition PETITION FOR RULEMAKING UNDER 5 U.S.C. § 553(e) AND CLEAN AIR ACT (CAA) § 231 REGARDING:AVIATION AEROSOL EMISSIONS, AVIATION-INDUCED CLOUDINESS (AIC) AND THE ENDANGERMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE There is also a helpful EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the petition, translating the unavoidably complex legalese into plain English. Key people involved in the two years of work it took to develop this landmark legal action held a public webinar, see below, on the day it was submitted.

USA: Farmland seized for new corporate/private jet airport in Spalding County, Georgia

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Farmland has been seized for a new airport in Spalding County, Georgia. Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport will serve corporate/private jets, has received federal, state and local government funding and is intended to spur real estate development in a large ‘Airport Impact Area’.

Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport site boundary
Boundary of the new Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport site, New Airport Location Map, Lamar County Commissioners, 13/01/2025, overlaid on aerial imagery dated 30/12/2025

Construction of a new airport for corporate/private jets, northeast of the City of Griffin in Spalding County, Georgia, USA has commenced. A Farm Journal article by Chris Bennett describes the seizure of a large area of Jeff Melin’s farm by eminent domain (government power to take land, with compensation, for public use such as infrastructure projects) for the new airport. The 225-acre middle section of his 450-acre farm, containing pasture, cattle, woodland, deer, dove field and a pecan tree grove, has been appropriated, which will leave his farmland on either side of the airport site landlocked. Trees, many more than a century old, at the edge of the pecan grove have already been felled to make way for airport construction and concrete poles for power lines are being erected. Melin first learned of the airport project in 2012, from a newspaper article showing his farm as one of four or five possible sites for a new airport with 124 hangars for corporate jets. He says authorities never communicated with him face to face and would not listen to him, just sending letters, making announcements and conducting ever more studies. Now Melin has been issued with an order to vacate within 90 days; he has to remove equipment and at least 65 cows and 30 calves. Melin say he is being forced to accept payment for the land which is far lower than what comparable property has been sold for. But he does not want to part with the land at any price. Melin said, “They force me to sell against my will and then pay a fraction of the value. And I’m not allowed to turn them down. My story will make you question what kind of country you’re living in” The farm has been in the family since they arrived in Griffin in 1951. Year after year Melin has worked to improve the farmland but none of this was factored into the evaluation.

Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport will be far larger than the existing Griffin-Spalding County Airport located south of the central business district of the City of Griffin, only 3 miles southwest of the new airport site, . The 5,500-6,000 foot runway will be nearly twice the length of the established airport’s 3,100-foot runway. The Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport site is significantly larger as well, encompassing 730 acres, over three and a half times the size of the existing airport’s 198-acre site. The airport site was among seven potential sites identified in the Griffin-Spalding County Airport; Airport Site Selection Study prepared for the City of Griffin and Spalding County by LPA Group Incorporated in 2008. The introduction to the study states that an ‘aeronautical industrial park adjacent to a new airport’ could help achieve industrial growth plans and that in ‘the process to find suitable land area for a new airport, this study considered an additional area for industrial development’. A map of Site 6, subsequently selected for the airport, shows a 320-acre Airport Area with a 5,500-foot runway. A second map of Site 6 shows a larger 392-acre Airport Area including a 500-foot runway extension plus an adjoining 351-acre Industrial Area, extending south of the runway with a smaller area on the other side. The combined area of the Airport Area and the Industrial Area is 743 acres.

In March 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, (FONSI) Record of Decision (ROD) determining that ‘the project as proposed would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment’ and deeming an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) unnecessary. The FONSI decision was based on information contained in a December 2011 Environmental Assessment (EA) for a replacement airport, prepared by LPA Group, and other applicable documents. Two potential alternative sites to replace the existing Griffin-Spalding County Airport, where expansion is constrained by a large amount of residential and commercial development surrounding it, were considered. A runway at least 5,500 feet in length and 100 feet wide with a parallel taxiway would enable the new airport to accommodate 75 per cent of large general aviation aircraft including Learjets, Cessna Citation 500s, Raytheon Hawkers, Dassault Falcons and the Bombardier Challenger 300.

The EA identified the site where the airport is now being constructed as the Preferred Build Alternative, requiring acquisition of 320 acres of land comprising 51 land parcels, many of which were uninhabited so relocation of residents would not be necessary. The EA notes that land acquisition would result in conversion of the land from agricultural and residential use to aviation use and clearance of approximately 260 acres of forest. Forest types identified within the site boundary and runway protection zones included bluff, slope and ravine forest along with pine and oak-hickory successional forests. The site includes approximately 37.1 acres of prime farmland and 55.6 acres of farmland categorised as of ‘statewide importance’. About 33.5 acres of floodplain and 7,368 feet of streams would be lost to airport construction. Maps of existing land use and future land use in and around the airport site show large areas of Agriculture/Forest converted to Medium and Low-Density Residential with narrow corridors of ‘Open Space Network’. A large commercial area is shown south of the airport site, with smaller industrial areas and a large industrial area to the south of AKB Parkway. An expanded ‘ultimate build-out of the Airport’ with a 6,500-foot runway is ‘reasonably foreseeable’. This would require conversion of 239 acres of federally protected farmland and relocation of 49 acres of residences.

Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport, Airport Impact Area
Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport site and Airport Impact Area, as shown in Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport Strategic Development Plan, KB Advisory Group, page 5, overlaid on aerial imagery dated 30/12/2025

Georgia based Croy Engineering was selected as the prime consultant for development of the new airport in 2018, assisting with development of a financial plan and procurement of a USD8.5 million grant for the final design. The Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport Strategic Development Plan, prepared for Spalding County and the City of Griffin by KB Advisory Group based on data up to 2025, summarises the purpose of the project, ‘The new airport can serve as the driver for increased personal & business/corporate aviation traffic, expedite the corridor as a manufacturing and distribution hub, support technical training and research for the aerospace industry, and become a local destination for the community.’ Commercial and industrial corridor development is envisaged along the AKB Parkway which runs south of the airport site. The plan identifies an ‘Airport Impact Area‘ representing ‘potential real estate development capture’, forecasting future real estate demand for four key land use types: 29 million square feet of new industrial/flex (versatile property that can be utilised for a combination of warehouse, distribution, office and retail) space, 79,800-97,000 square feet of new retail space and 1,796 housing units by 2045, plus 180 additional hotel rooms by 2035. The Airport Impact Area, including the airport site, encompasses more than 18,500 acres of land. The report recommends infrastructure development to signal site readiness and reduce risks to developers, initially prioritising shovel ready sites to market the corridor. The Immediate Priority: Target Area 1 extends along both sides of the AKB. The Medium-Term: Impact Area is the entire Airport Impact Area.

The groundbreaking ceremony for Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport took place on 7th May 2026 with over 50 people in attendance, including Department of Transportation (DOT) Under Secretary Ryan McCormack who echoed President Donald Trump’s lauding of the One BIg Beautiful Bill Act with his description of the airport as “big and beautiful“, Congressman Brian Jack, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry and local leaders. Construction of the airport is scheduled to be completed by 2030. Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport, the first new airport to be constructed in Georgia since 2008, is supported by federal, state and local funding. Congressman Brian Jack stated that to date the project has secured a total of USD83.4 million including USD8.5 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program, USD8.8 million from a Congressional Community Project Funding appropriation, USD47.2 million from the Georgia General Assembly, USD11.9 million from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Airport Aid Development program and USD7 million from a local bond.

South Africa: Vaal Aerotropolis could take up more than 12,000 hectares of farmland

Rose Bridger Special Economic Zones , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Vaal Aerotropolis site encompasses a large area of farmland. Two runways, two terminals, an Airport City, solar farm and ‘vast agri-zones’ for air exports of agricultural produce and live animals are planned. Project partners view designation as, or inclusion within, a special economic zone (SEZ) as essential for attracting investors.

Vaal Aerotropolis - Zoning Plan boundary, 24th Jan 2026
The Vaal Aerotropolis site is predominantly farmland and adjacent to the N1 highway. This graphic overlays the Zoning Plan boundary of a 11,400 hectare site shown in the Vaal Aerotropolis Local Spatial Development Framework, page 35, onto aerial imagery dated 24/01/2026.

A multi-decade aerotropolis project

In April 2026, South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) announced public consultations, allowing comments and input from the local community, on designation of the Vaal Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Led by the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) the initiative includes a smart city and a new international airport, all to be supported by a ‘new “aerotropolis” – an industry term referring to an economic zone built around a major airport’. It was stated that the airport will be ‘supported by an extensive road network’ including direct access to the N1 highway, which is to the west of the site, so only a 50-minute journey from central Johannesburg. Nearly three years previously, in May 2023 Citibank South Africa, a subsidiary of US-based financial holding company Citigroup Inc., announced its investment in a ‘multi-decade aerotropolis project’ in the Vaal area, pledging R1.375 billion (USD84 million) having already applied for rezoning of the proposed development area into a special economic zone (SEZ). At an event held with dtic, Citibank SA’s Chief Country Officer Peter Taylor addressed the media, saying, “This is a massive infrastructure project. The timing of the airport itself will depend on a few things: the zoning, the licensing, the authority for the port etc. But a lot of work has gone into this. A lot of those [things] are being finalised. We are making an application for a an SEZ (special economic zone), which will encompass this area that the airport will be built in.”

Vaal AeroZone

Citibank SA is a major investor in Vaal AeroZone, the developer of Vaal Aerotropolis. Other partners in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) are the dtic, Gauteng Provincial Government, Sedibeng District Municipality, Emfuleni Local Municipality, PAPE Funds and Vaal Aerotropolis Design. The text at the top of the website home page reads like advertising for a particularly high-end VIP terminal: ‘VAAL AEROTROPOLIS: Pioneering a Sustainable Future for Travel and Innovation. Experience the future of luxury travel and innovation, where seamless connectivity meets sustainable opulence, shaping a world of refined possibilities.’ Yet in spite of the projected high passenger numbers, an initial capacity of 7.2 million per year (significantly higher than King Shaka Airport, the country’s third busiest airport handling just over 5.6 million passengers in 2025-26), the emphasis of the Vaal Airport project is on air cargo, ‘Vaal Aerotropolis will be the only airport in Gauteng where integrated air cargo services are designed and planned as a priority’, with initial capacity to handle 150,000 tonnes per year. Small blocks of text about development of a trade and logistics hub are packed with hype and superlatives: ‘VAAL AEROZONE: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL TRADE, Driving innovation, investment, and sustainable growth in the Sedibeng District’, ‘VAAL AEROTROPOLIS: A GATEWAY TO GLOBAL TRADE, Transforming the Sedibeng District into a world-class trade and logistics hub’. ‘A catalyst for economic transformation’. Green claims are prominent in the ‘AFRICA’S PREMIER GREEN AEROTROPOLIS’ and ‘CUTTING EDGE GREEN AIRPORT CITY’ sections. A timeline begins with inception of the project in 2020 and extends through to Phase 3 development commencing in 2068. A ‘GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE’ gallery consists of three computer generated graphics of generic airport buildings.

A video manifestation

The AI generated voiceover of a promotional video, Vaal Aerotropolis: A Gateway to Global Trade. published on 18th November 2024, refers to the components of the project – Airport, Airport City, Agri Zone, Trade Zone and Solar Farm – as if they already exist or are inevitable; the word ‘will’ occurs eleven times. Graphics show development of Vaal Aerotropolis in three phases. The project, with two terminals, two runways, supported by the existing road and rail network along with future upgrades and interchanges, is called ‘a gateway to the continent’, ‘a lush aviation oasis’. A ‘great passenger experience’ is promised and ‘Vaal Airport City, one of the first purpose-built aviation cities in Africa’ sounds like a high-end development, with ‘fully serviced premium offices, retail, hospitality, medical and leisure spaces in an urban, minimum 4-star green rating’. But the envisaged facilities for passengers are dwarfed by plans for a 1,000-hectare solar farm and ‘vast agri-zones’ for ‘production of agricultural products amenable for transport by air.’ Enormous volumes of air exports of farm produce are anticipated, ‘This hi-tech agri-cluster is the largest climate controlled growing area on the continent, an integrated perishable supply chain’ (perishable air cargo is produce requiring a temperature-controlled cold-chain such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and flowers). Apparently, herds of livestock will be boarding flights, departing from ‘the first live animal holding area for transport by air in South Africa’.

Map of phases 1,2 and 3 of Vaal Aerotropolis
November 2024 map of phases 1, 2 and 3 of Vaal Aerotropolis. Graphic from video: Vaal Aerotropolis: A Gateway to Global Trade. Vaal AeroZone, 18/11/2024

Up to R200 billion investment, ‘pie in the sky insanity’

In December 2024, after delivering the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement speech in which the grandiose Vaal Aerotropolis scheme was not even mentioned, Gauteng Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, told SABC News, “We’ve got a new airport coming in Sedibeng which will see, I think, investment of anything between R20bn and R200bn from the private sector. In fact, it’s about R200bn, and we will be working with DTIC [Department of Trade, Industry and Competition] investing in bulk for that project”. This statement met with scepticism in a Moneyweb article ridiculing the project as ‘pie-in-the-sky insanity‘, deeming the maximum cost estimate of R200bn (USD 12 billion) ‘impossible’ when construction of King Shaka Airport in 2007-2009 had cost R6.8 billion, equivalent to R17 billion in 2024. The aim to handle 27 million passengers per year seems unrealistic; it is not clear who this vast capacity might serve with the entire population of Sedibeng amounting to just over 1 million people. The projected level of demand looks improbable as Gauteng has several underutilised airports. A notable example is Lanseria Airport, northwest of Johannesburg, which has capacity for about 4.5 million passenger per year, but was, at this juncture, only used by one commercial carrier, Flysafair, operating up to nine daily flights. The cost estimate for major expansion plans for OR Tambo Airport, including a a new passenger terminal and phase one of a new cargo terminal accommodating 650,000 tonnes of cargo per year, was estimated at R21 billion, a fraction of the possible R200 billion figure for Vaal Aerotropolis. And there is already a programme to establish another aerotropolis a mere 70km away, next to OR Tambo Airport in Ekurhuleni.

Infrastructural instability

Sedibeng’s crumbling infrastructure, leading to widespread failures in provision of basic services, casts further doubts on the feasibility of the vast, technologically advanced Vaal Aerotropolis. Major highways, including the N1 adjacent to the project site, are ‘decent’ but the wider road network is ageing. Potholes are ‘ubiquitous’. Waste management is poor leaving the landscape littered with ‘festering rubbish dumps’. The electricity supply is unstable. The situation is particularly serious iin Emfuleni, making provision of the requisite ‘infrastructural backbone’ for an aerotropolis seem like a ‘flight of fancy’. If it is constructed there is considerable risk of it becoming a ‘very large, very expensive white elephant’. The vision of handling 45 million passengers per year upon completion seems fantastical when compared to the 21 million handled by OR Tambo, South Africa’s largest and busiest airport. Community members attending a Vaal SEZ engagement held In Vereeniging town hall on 15th April 2026 raised concerns over Emfuleni’s dilapidated infrastructure, including unreliable water and electricity supplies, and how this undermines the credibility of a drive to attract investors to the municipality. The April 2026 cancellation of the licence for Vereeniging Airport, just 17 kilometres east of the Vaal Aerotropolis site, is further evidence of infrastructural collapse in the area. Maintenance of dilapidated fencing did not take place despite allocation of more than R100,000 (USD6,000) for the purpose, allowing uncontrolled access to the premises which placed the fuel farm at risk. Animals roamed freely on the site, sewage was leaking between buildings and the runway approach lights were stolen.

A ‘zone of comfort for investors’

The July 2025 Vaal Aerotropolis Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) report, was prepared by AeroZone for the Sedibeng and Emfuleni authorities to ‘allow them to plan and budget, in order to obtain approval and proceed with the project’. Great importance is attached to Vaal Aerotropolis being designated as a SEZ, or included in an existing SEZ, in order to benefit from a supportive planning framework, development rights, infrastructure provision and a range of incentives. Zoning is viewed as vital to attract investors, ‘It is important to entrench the zoning rights as early as possible in order to create a zone of comfort for investors. The LSDF will create this comfort.’ Most of the site is owned by Vaal Aerotropolis developer AeroZone, ~4,000 hectares directly and ~1,200 through lease of publicly owned land. A small area of the site is privately owned. The area encompassed by the Zoning Plan boundary is 11,400 hectares, but the eventual site could be even larger as the ‘total envisaged site area is approximately 12,125 ha in extent’. The majority of the site within the Zoning Plan consists of land that has been farmed since the early 1900s, it is ‘mostly cultivated fields with a few patches of open grassland vegetation’. Streams run through the site and there are small areas of trees, shrubs, and wetlands. The LSDF acknowledges that the ‘environmental attributes once provided by the commercial agricultural activities will be lost’. Potential exports of agricultural produce are estimated at 11,000-15,000 tons by 2032, 15,000-20,000 tons by 2037 and 25,000-30,000 tons by 2042. No numbers are given for live animal exports but it appears facilities for this could be substantial, ‘The Vaal Aerotropolis location is ideally suited to provide enough space for holding areas for various animals.’

The future of Vaal Aerotropolis is uncertain, depending upon extent to which the plans are realised, what materialises on the site and the level of utilisation. Whatever actually happens, the combination of the large site, road and rail network access, backing from several government bodies, substantial private investment and likely SEZ zoning make the Vaal Aerotropolis site a significant asset and a locus and instrument of power for project partners.

Scotland: Glasgow AirportCity ambitions boosted by tax breaks for advanced manufacturing site

Rose Bridger tax breaks , , , , , , , , ,

Within days of confirmation of tax breaks for businesses locating at Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS), next to Glasgow Airport, further public funding was announced and a new private aviation terminal unveiled.

Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) site
The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) site is adjacent to Glasgow Airport. The approximate boundary of the 52-hectare Netherton development site in this graphic is derived from the AMIDS website. Aerial image: 18/08/2025

On 14th March 2026 the UK and Scottish governments confirmed that new tax incentives had been made available to businesses locating at Glasgow Airport and the neighbouring Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) site. Eligible businesses can access up to £25 million in tax breaks on Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), Non-Domestic Rates (NDR), enhanced capital allowance, enhanced structures and buildings allowance and National Insurance (NI) contributions. The 52-hectare Netherton development site, offering plots for leasehold, is described as the ‘heart’ of AMIDS. Overall, the new tax site spans more than 112 hectares and in addition to Glasgow Airport and AMIDS includes sites neighbouring the airport in Abbotsinch, Airside North and Campsie Drive. The tax relief scheme is part of the Glasgow City Region Investment Zone which, over ten years, has received more than £190 million in funding from the UK and Scottish governments. Kam Jandu, CEO of AGS Airports Ltd., owner and operator of Glasgow Airport, said, “Securing tax site status as part of the Glasgow City Region Investment Zone is a hugely significant moment for Glasgow Airport and the wider region. It accelerates our ambition to develop a Glasgow AirportCity – a hub of precision engineering and advanced manufacturing with significant apprenticeship and upskilling programmes forecast to help create 2,300 skilled jobs and £205 million in annual GVA [Gross Added Value]’.

Very few jobs are evident in the AMIDS promotional interactive map; it is almost devoid of people. The NMIS is packed with machinery and has a striking purple and glass facade, but the lobby, seats, desks, meeting spaces and benches in expansive outdoor spaces are almost empty. A few people stand alone wearing VR headsets. There is nobody in the Digital Factory video. Only one of four images of CPI Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) labs shows someone working in it. The Overview Brochure ‘Connectivity’ page highlights AMID’s adjacency to Glasgow Airport with 30 airlines serving 120 destinations worldwide, this dependency on fossil-fuel intensive air transport contradicting a commitment to ‘net zero’ carbon emissions. Convenient local transportation links to the natural beauty of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, the vibrant Glasgow City centre are promoted, for leisure purposes. But the purported ‘dynamic ecosystem’ of AMIDS site is all about global connections and a select group of firms, institutions and authorities. AMIDS is a cosseted cluster, bestowed with subsidies and other support unavailable to businesses outside its boundaries. The publicity is a swirl of hype – ‘world class’, ‘world leading’, ‘cutting edge’, ‘world leading research’, ‘pioneering breakthroughs that shape and meet challenges of the future’, staffed by ‘forward thinking minds’, ‘big thinkers’ and ‘can-doers’. There is no sign of humility in this techno-optimists’ paradise.

Tax breaks for AMIDS come in addition to allocation of large amounts of public funds. Infrastructure including key roads and bridges was supported by £39 million in City Deal infrastructure funding. Two manufacturing centres located on the AMIDS site received substantial funds from the Scottish government: £48 million for the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (NMIS) and £8.9 million for the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre. News of another tranche of government funding for AMIDS emerged only three days after the tax reliefs announcement. Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic development agency, approved a £4.74 million package for a development at AMIDS called Tech Terrace which aims to ‘establish a world-class, high-value manufacturing cluster within a campus environment, where innovative organisations can work together to pioneer breakthroughs and meet challenges of the future’. The Scottish Enterprise Funding will be matched by AMIDS joint venture partners Renfrewshire Council (indicating allocation of further public funds for the project) and Buccleuch Property.

Just two days after the AMIDS tax reliefs announcement a new facility at Glasgow Airport specifically serving a wealthy minority was unveiled. On 16th March 2026, Signature Aviation, the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals, held a ‘grand opening celebration’ for a new private aviation terminal. Glasgow Airport’s 433 square metre private terminal has an expansive passenger lounge, VIP lounge, large meeting room, dedicated screening room and showers. Signature Aviation CEO Tony Lefebvre said the opening of the new terminal reflected ‘our commitment to delivering a truly elevated, hospitality-driven experience for our guests” and that development of facilities around the world is “focused on creating thoughtfully designed spaces that support the operational needs of our guests with the comfort, privacy and seamless service that Signature is known for.” The new private terminal is just 300 metres from the AMIDS Netherton development site boundary and located amidst other Glasgow City Region Investment Zone tax sites as shown in this UK Government map.