Margate Airport on KwaZulu-Natal's south coast is set for a R300million upgrade.

The upgrade comes hot on the heels of the completion of the R6billion 2010 King Shaka International Airport on the north coast.

The facelift is scheduled to begin next month.

Johannesburg airline Studio 88 Aviation began direct flights to Margate.

The Margate Airport upgrade by the Hibiscus Coast municipality will see the 1,4km runway extended to 2km.

Hibiscus Coast municipal manager Sibusiso Mkhize said the upgrade was prompted by the moving of Durban International Airport from the south to the far north - 170km away.

The chief executive officer of South Coast Tourism, Michael Bertram, said: "Having to travel more than two hours to the new King Shaka International Airport is costly and time-consuming."