"The project was revived in the late 1990s when the limitations of Durban International Airport became apparent.[4] The airport's 2,400 m (7,874 ft) runway was too short to allow large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 to operate intercontinental routes out of Durban, and the resulting decrease in international air traffic caused Durban to become marginalised with respect to Johannesburg and Cape Tow" . . . .