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).
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.
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 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. 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 in May 2018. 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.
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.
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’.
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.
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 millionfrom 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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
Announcement of a mega airport in Nyakisharara in the Mbarara District, with two 5.5-kilometre runways and a VIP runway, met with scepticism from aviation industry specialists. Land acquisition would displace residents and there are doubts over the scale, site and financing of the project.
The proposed Mbarara Airport site encompasses approximately 21 square kilometres of predominantly agricultural land and is centred on the existingNyakisharara Airstrip. Aerial image: 27/07/2025
On 11th February 2026 Ugandan President Yoweri K. Museveni’s announced a mega airport project in Nyakisharara, northwest of the city of Mbarara in the Western Region. A 21 square kilometre site has been allocated for an airport with two 5.5-kilometre runways and a 3.7-kilometre runway for VIP flights. Hotels are also planned and the project will require relocation of the Mbarara-Ibanda road. Land acquisition, for what would be one of the largest infrastructure developments in the region, will cause displacement of people living in the Nyakisharara area. President Museveni instructed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to oversee the relocation and compensation of impacted residents. A higher number of people might be displaced if a NewSwift article, reporting a larger project site of almost 30 square kilometres for the ‘master plan’, is correct. Many aviation professionals and experts have expressed doubts over the plan. Airport projects in other African countries show that the most serious pre-construction hurdles arise from disputes over land acquisition. Compensation and relocation of communities, if conducted without a clear process and transparency, can be protracted, delaying the project and increasing costs. The requisite Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is particularly important because the area earmarked for the project includes settlements, agriculture and sensitive ecosystems. The project is focussed on transforming an established airstrip into a ‘global hub’ linking Latin America with China and reducing travel time between these regions. But location alone does not induce airlines to use a particular airport. Analysts warned that commercial decision-making is multifactorial, considering passenger demand, profitability forecasts, operating costs, cargo, logistics and transfer networks linking airports with destinations. With regard to tourism, an airport alone rarely creates an inflow of passengers. Tourism operators and planners from several countries explained that to attract visitors an airport needs to be built where facilities such as accommodation, connectivity via road and/or rail and a reliable flight schedule are already in place.
No cost estimate and risky BOT contract
As of March 2026 the government had yet to announce an official cost estimate for the megaproject. Yet six months previously, on 4th September 2025, at a meeting in which China-based consortium presented its proposal to build the Mbarara International Airport project, ‘specifically in Nyakisharara’ to President Museveni, Bethuel Macharia of Blackrock Uwekeza, a private limited company registered in the UK, ‘expressed enthusiasm for financing the entire project’. Bethuel Macharia confirmed Blackrock Uwekeza’s full financial backing for the airport in February 2026, saying, “The project is expected to take shape in December, we already have backing from the president, as we await the feasibility study as well as the conceptual and preliminary designs. Next year construction is expected to start.” Government statements about the airport emphasised the private financing committed to the project, under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model whereby an investor operates the airport, recouping costs and generating profits, for an agreed period before transferring ownership to the government. Caution is advised as BOT contracts are risky for the public purse. If the projected revenue from passenger numbers and cargo volumes fail to materialise, the state may be obliged to provide revenue guarantees and other subsidies. Viable examples of the BOT model usually include non-aeronautical revenue from an ‘airport zone’ containing facilities such as retail, hospitality, logistics centres and real estate in addition to aeronautical revenue from landing and passenger handling fees and cargo operations. The airport might only be viable with commercial development on a large land area surrounding it. Another issue casting doubts on the feasibility of the Mbarara mega airport is major investment in other major airport projects in Uganda. The US$125 million second phase of expansion of the country’s main airport, Entebbe Airport, is underway. in the Hoima District construction of Kabalega Airport, to serve the oil sector and possibly provide access to tourist attractions, is reported to be in its final stages.
Artistic impression of Mbarara Airport terminal with dozens of parked aircraft. Graphic:NTVUganda
Doubts over scale, site and VIP runway
Another critic of the ‘Gargantuan New Airport‘ questions the logic of building a transfer hub for flights between China and Latin America; refuelling stops with passengers staying on the plane would not make a significant contribution to Uganda’s economy. The scale of the project in a remote area, its renderings showing ‘dozens and dozens’ of planes parked at terminal gates, seem immensely unrealistic and the claim that the airport will have a VIP runway is particularly fanciful. Regional competition could also undermine the viability of the Mbarara Airport project. Most notably, Ethiopia is expanding its already more established aviation sector and has begun construction of a mega airport in Abusera, near the town of Bishoftu. Another sceptical article, questioning whether the mega airport is a ‘real deal‘, highlights the length of the two main runways; at 5.5 kilometres these would be the longest in the world. Aircraft would require long runways to reach take-off speed due to the low air density and high temperatures at the high-altitude site.Selection of the high elevation site, centred on the existing Nyakisharara Airstrip at an altitude of 1,517metres, for the mega airport would lead to inefficient air operations and increase airport construction and operating costs. The economic performance of the heavily subsidised Uganda Airlines does not inspire confidence in the country’s governance of its aviation sector. Since a massive injection of government funds in August 2019, for procurement of four Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets each costing US$27.3 million (and providing flights for a minute number of people as these jets can only accommodate up to 90 passengers), Uganda Airlines has reported heavy losses every year. In the 2023/24 financial year alone Ugandan Airlines made a loss of over US$63 million. Yet a further allocation of public funds to the airline, US$113 million from a supplementary budget for purchase of ten aircraft, is planned.
The oil supply crunch reduced deliveries of the vast volumes of diesel required for expansion of Phu Quoc Airport, including a second runway and passenger teminal, plus a luxurious VVIP terminal, scheduled for completion in time for the APEC 2027 forum.
Artist’s rendering of Phu Quoc Airport VVIP terminal as seen from above, resembling a sea eagle. Image: VnExpress
Within days of the US and Israel launching strikes on Iran restrictions on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for diesel supplies to the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, had drastically reduced delivery of the volumes required for expansion of Phu Quoc Airport. The ambitious expansion plan aims to increase passenger handling capacity fivefold, from the current 4 million per year to 20 million by 2027 in the first phase, rising further to 50 million per year by 2050. The oil supply crunch had major impacts on construction works. Operation of between 160-180 items of heavy equipment for runway 2 works required 10,000 liters of diesel per day. Earthworks on 2,700 hectares of the runway 2 area, with 130 pieces of equipment, had been consuming about 27,000 liters per day. More than 60 per cent of the equipment had been shut down and 70 machine and vehicle operators temporarily laid off. Tankers carrying 200,000 liters of diesel had been arriving from the mainland every 7-10 days, but since 2nd March the supplier was only fulfilling existing orders and was no longer taking new orders. Yet publicity for the airport expansion continued. On 18th March 2026 Phu Quoc Airport unveiled more details of the VIP terminal design, with graphics depicting an exclusive lounge and luxurious, spacious arrival and departure halls that are markedly different from cramped and crowded facilities for regular travellers, with floor-to ceiling windows giving a ‘sweeping view of the sea’, ‘glossy black obsidian surfaces’, gold accents and a glass and gold sculpture of an eagle ray in flight.
Luxury aviation facilities for APEC 2027
Less than four months previously, on 28th November 2025, rapid progress of Phu Quoc Airport expansion was reported to be an aviation industry record with a second runway, closely followed by the ‘VVIP terminal’, then a second terminal, T2, all on schedule. The expanded airport is envisaged as a ‘gateway’ to a ‘Phu Quoc megacity of the future’ and on 31st December 2025 it was announced that airport construction was moving at an unprecedented pace; the steel framework for the 6,000 square meter VVIP terminal was in place. Initially, the VVIP terminal will host heads of state and high ranking delegations to the 2027 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Leaders Week meeting, a key event in the APEC 2027 forum themed ‘Connecting: Building Inclusive and Resilient Economies’. Exclusive facilities are being fast-tracked for an event purporting to promote inclusivity. Both the VIP terminal and Terminal 2 are being built ‘with the aim of delivering luxury standards and a premium passenger experience’. Luxurious passenger facilities will be accompanied by a new luxury airline, Sun PhuQuoc Airways, which ordered up to 40 Boeing 747 Dreamliner planes for international flights to its hub at Phu Quoc Airport. Boeing’s announcement emphasised the aircraft’s ‘superior comfort to passengers’ and described Sun PhuQuoc Airways as ‘well positioned to capture the next wave of premium tourism’. Two mega hotel projects reshaping the skyline to host global leaders and high ranking officials for APEC 2027 are similarly exclusive, designed for ‘diplomatic events, international conferences and high-end tourism’.
Forest land conversion for tourism projects
Conversion of 0.46 hectares of protected forest land for use in Phu Quoc Airport expansion was approved in February 2026. This small forest loss for tourism-related infrastructure is a continuation of a pattern affecting large swaths of the island. Elsewhere on Phu Quoc 286 development projects are planned and, as reported by Mongabay, since July 2024, authorities have permitted conversion of over 180 hectares of forest, most of it categorised as ‘special use’ due to ecological value or scientific importance. A key development, Rạch Tràm Ecotourism and Residential Project on the island’s north coast, required forced relocation of 508 households and clearance of 57.7 hectares of special use forest in Phu Quoc National Park. Development of Phu Quoc as an island tourism city was approved by the Prime Minister in 2022 and the 286 projects, at various stages of planning and development, span over 9,600 hectares, nearly 17 per cent of the island. Legal changes in 2024, expanding the type of developments for which forest land can be converted to include industrial parks and clusters in addition to ecotourism, resorts and recreation projects, facilitated a spike in forest conversion approvals. Since the amendments to land laws conversion of nearly 182 hectares of Phu Quoc forest, 77 per cent of this being special use forest, has been approved and the land designated for tourism projects.
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.
Aerial imagery of the Bishoftu International Airport site, the 9th February 2025 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:
A thorough re-evaluation of the airport project considering impacts on local people, heritage and the environment
For development in Abuu Seeraa to ‘embody a thoughtful integration’ preserving, not erasing, the area’s history and environment with no forced eviction
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.
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
An alliance of community and environmental organizations, led by TechnoparcOiseaux, works to protect the highly biodiverse Technoparc Montréal wetlands, north of Montreal-Trudeau Airport, from development. There is widespread support for conferring protected status to the welands through inclusion in a national urban park.
Map of citizen observations of plant and animal wildlife species at Technoparc Montréal wetlands near Montreal-Trudeau Airport. Image source: iNaturalist
Technoparc Montreal, a high-tech industrial park near Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, is situated in the most biodiverse wetlands on Montreal Island, known as the Technoparc wetlands. Many citizens’ observations of plant and animal species are recorded on the Technoparc:Montreal Wetlands section of the iNaturalist crowdsourced identification system. By March 2026, 17,929 observations of 1,302 species by 549 observers had been recorded. But there is a long history of encroaching development which has been opposed at every stage. In July 2016 conservationists urged Technoparc to reconsider development of Eco Campus Hubert Reeves, for cleantech startup companies, on an area of the wetlands containing a marsh hosting a wide variety of birds; 160 species had been spotted. Bird Protection Quebec said development on the Technoparc wetlands, ‘an oasis in the heart of Montreal’, posed threats to uniquely biodiverse wetlands and woodlands, with the number of bird species among the highest in the Montreal region and including 19 categorized as threatened. Les Amis du Parc Meadowbrook passed a resolution, endorsed by Green Coalition and Sauvons la Falaise, calling on authorities to impose an immediate moratorium on Technoparc Montreal expansion and to consolidate undeveloped areas into a protected wildlife refuge. Extension of a road into the wetlands continued despite the presence of a few least bitterns, a small species of heron thought to be at risk in the Montreal area, leading members of the Green Coalition, Sauvons la Falaise and the Green Party to hold a news conference at the site.
In March 2018 Joel Coutu, leading birders on regular walks in the wetlands drew attention to Red-shouldered hawks, merlins and other birds of prey, indicating a richly biodiverse environment and mammals including coyotes, foxes, beavers rabbits and skunks. Bird enthusiasts and environmental groups intensified pressure to preserve the wetlands in August 2018 with a petition demanding a halt to works on sensitive areas in and around the Technoparc and to protect the sites as a ‘Sources Nature Park’ conservation area attracting over 68,000 signatures. Bird species nesting on the site that activists were concerned about included four at-risk species: Least Bittern, Wood Thrush, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Barn Swallow. Tree cutting for a Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light metro station at the Technoparc began in September 2018. TechnoparcOiseaux, Trainsparence and Montreal Climate Coalition had led a legal attempt to halt the project, appealing a previous lawsuit demanding a halt to the works that had been thrown out, but the provincial government had passed a special law enabling its construction. Matthew Chapman, president of Montreal Climate Coalition, said, “The biggest project in the last half century went forward in a very undemocratic way” and that it would facilitate development eroding the area’s remaining green space. The previous month, environmentalists had noted the irony of Eco-Campus Hubert Reeves being named after a renowned ecologist and astrophysicist, as preparation of the site included removing 3,000 trees for extension of a road anout 500 meters into natural space.
In September 2021, while Covid-19 restrictions were in place, dozens of local residents gathered near the Technoparc in a demonstration organized by TechnoparcOiseaux, protesting a proposed 15,000 square meter facility for production of surgical masks on part of the wetlands called Monarch Field. Efforts to expand the Des Sources Nature Park to include the Technoparc wetlands received a setback in February 2025 when Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), operator of Montreal-Trudeau Airport, stated concerns over bird strikes in the aftermath of a 29th December 2024 air crash in South Korea in which 179 people died. Air accident investigations had concluded that bird strikes were a factor and ADM stated, “It is inconceivable to ask an airport authority to assign a nature park use to such a large land located so close to the airfield and runways, as it would increase the presence of wildlife on site.” Katherine Collin of TechnoparcOiseaux rejected this argument saying, “We believe that ADM is overstating the dangers posed by the bird population here”. John Gradek, an aviation expert, said ADM was being too cautious as it can deploy technology such as blank cannons, along with falconry, to control birdlife around the airport.
ADM said it planned to develop a “decarbonization support center” on part of the land, Lot 20, in the following 10-20 years, claiming that any development of the site would protect areas that are of high ecological value and safeguard endangered species. Its 2023-2043 master plan includes solar panels, storage for ‘fuels of the future’ and other development on the site and the adjoining Dorval golf course. TechnoparcOiseaux’s Katherine Collin said, “What we see is worse than we imagined. Development is planned over vital habitat for endangered and threatened species, there are no buffer zones planned around current conservation areas, there will be a massive loss of green space – 130 hectares.” At ADM’s May 2025 annual public meeting president and director general, Yves Beauchamp, said the primary concern was passenger safety, “So a park of this expanse, near the runways, is not compatible with the safety goals we have. So will we change our opinions? No.” Yet hopes that the federal government might select the lands north of Montreal-Trudeau Airport as a national urban park, conferring protected status on 200 hectares of green space, were raised by a letter from the minister responsible for Parks Canada, Steven Guilbeault, stating, “The federal government is open to creating a national park on those lands”. A letter to Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon from Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) executive director Massimo Iezzoni and Montreal’s executive committee chai Émilie Thuillier stated, “Few subjects enjoy such unanimous support within the CMM as the importance of protecting the natural areas around Montreal-Trudeau International Airport” and pointed out that the CMM represents 82 municipalities and 4.3 million people, nearly 50 per cent of the population of Quebec’s population.
For more information including references for all source material, photos and videos see the case study on EJAtlas, the world’s largest, most comprehensive online database of social conflict around environmental issues – Technoparc Montreal wetlands, Quebec, Canada
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