The Pietermaritzburg High Court will on Monday begin hearings into the validity of a legal challenge brought by construction group Grinaker-LTA against the tender process for the construction of a new airport to be built north of Durban, Aveng (which owns Grinaker-LTA) company secretary John Baxter confirmed.

In December, the Ilembe consortium, led by Group Five and Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon, was named as the preferred bidder to build the King Shaka airport, which will replace the existing Durban International Airport.

The Indiza group, which included Grinaker-LTA, was reportedly not considered because it did not meet certain tender requirements.

Both consortia prequalified for the tender in April 2006.

Grinaker-LTA, however, has claimed that the correct tender processes were not followed and that its document was unfairly excluded.

The new airport will be owned and operated by the Airports Company South Africa, while the Dube Tradeport, which was also involved in the tender process, will build a trade zone nearby.

The new airport is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

The first step of the project will include the aeronautical footprint, the King Shaka International Airport, which will include a four-million-passenger-a-year terminal, runway, air-traffic control tower, fuel farm and related infrastructure.

The second step will be the trade zone, with full customs and excise facilities and bonded areas.