By Johannah Malogadihlare
With travel increasing dramatically in the lead up to Christmas, international travellers have been urged to arrive at OR Tambo International Airport three hours before their departure, instead of the usual two hours.
Addressing the media on various measures implemented for the festive season, the Airports Company South Africa and the Border Management Authority also urged domestic travellers to arrive an hour earlier.
ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu said that as during Covid-19, they were advising passengers to arrive two hours before they departed on local flights.
She said ACSA’s projections indicated that 119,696 international and 262,108 domestic passengers were expected between Thursday and 24 December. The busiest day was expected to be Friday, with 20,886 international and 39,423 domestic travellers.
On top of the increased pressure at airports this time of year, Or Tambo saw a faulty jet fuel shaft causing delays last week. There was also an issue with BMA’s biometric movement control system.
BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato told reporters that they had deployed additional biometric systems at the airport to prevent further delays
ACSA and BMA have been conducting joint and regular training exercises to ensure that their teams are well prepared to handle a wide range of security scenarios.
The South African Police Service is collaborating with both teams.
Crime intelligence, customs, the Hawks, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department and retailers have been fully prepared to cope with additional demands that come with higher volumes of passengers and airport users.
Mpofu expressed ACSA’s disappointment about the events, saying “the rigorous planning that came into place basically did not anticipate the events that actually did occur”.
The jet fuel shaft has been analysed by engineers, who want further details from ACSA.
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