King Mswati III International Airport
Airport in Eswatini
King Mswati III International Airport (IATA: SHO, ICAO: FDSK), is the primary international airport serving Eswatini. It replaced Matsapha Airport in 2014 as the only international airport in Eswatini that caters to commercial flights. It is designed to handle 360,000 passengers per year. The airport was initially named Sikhuphe International Airport in the planning and construction phase.
Construction
Construction began in 2003 on this US$150M project. The Taiwanese government contributed US$22M to the project.
It is part of King Mswati III's $1bn millennium project investment initiative to enhance Eswatini's position as a tourist destination, serving as a tourism gateway to Eswatini's game parks, either domestic or nearby located ones, such as Victoria Falls, Maputo, the Kruger National Park and KwaZulu-Natal game reserves. However, the airport has been on the drawing board since 1980, and since then Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport has opened and Maputo and Durban airports have been upgraded. There are also environmental concerns since Sikhuphe is near Hlane Royal National Park and may put rare species of eagles and vultures at risk.
King Mswati III International Airport was planned to replace Matsapha Airport by 2010, with the latter being taken over by the army.
“King Mswati III International Airport” enters the record as airport in Eswatini. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what King, Mswati and International can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“King Mswati III International Airport” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, King, Mswati and International provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2285574. Authority coordinates are -26.359, 31.717. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2014, 2003, 1980 and 2010.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “King Mswati III International Airport”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow King Mswati III International Airport primary sources, King Mswati III International Airport archive and King research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “King Mswati III International Airport”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “King Mswati III International Airport” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.