The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is working to expand the cargo terminal at the OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) within the next five years. This expansion is necessary due to the current constraints of the cargo terminal, and ACSA Cluster 1 Regional GM, Jabulani Khambule, noted these details during a briefing on March 28. Additionally, the existing passenger terminal is designed to accommodate 35 million passengers a year and is currently operating at 18.6 million passengers per year, providing sufficient capacity.
In order to prioritize key projects and ensure passenger requests and complaints are addressed, ACSA is focusing on getting the basics right. To start, ACSA is refurbishing the roofs of ORTIA since some sections tend to leak during heavy weather. This project is expected to be complete by October. ACSA is also revamping its ablution facilities, which requires closing off single facilities at a time, also with an October completion date. Furthermore, the company is upgrading the parking infrastructure to ensure a reliable and efficient process for passengers and visitors. This includes replacing aging equipment and providing multiple payment options for customers. 12,000 parking bays are currently available and operational, and ACSA hopes to improve upon this number.
In addition to these projects, ACSA is developing an intermodal transport facility that will provide passengers and employees with a safe and convenient environment to use their preferred mode of transport. This includes moving public transport operators, such as taxis, e-hailing services, shuttles, and metered taxis to a central pick-up location, which should help reduce traffic congestion. Both the parking upgrades and the intermodal facility are expected to be complete by August.
The ORTIA airport is also having e-gates installed, which have biometric scanners to scan fingerprints. These gates allow South African passport holders to be processed through immigration without visiting an immigration officer. This should provide increased processing rates at immigration and reduced waiting times for passengers.
ACSA has completed a number of other enhancements to the airport, including implementing the South African Traveller Management System (SATMS) in conjunction with the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This system enables travellers entering or leaving the country to pre-declare goods bought, received, or otherwise acquired and pay applicable taxes. This makes it easier for travellers to comply with their legal obligations. SARS plans to implement this new system at all points of entry within the coming year.
At ORTIA, both domestic and international passenger volumes and aircraft movements are steadily recovering to pre-pandemic levels, following a boost over the festive season and a strong start to the year. Domestic passenger volumes totalled 720 816 in February this year, reflecting a 77% recovery rate compared with February 2019. Similarly, international passenger volumes are recovering at a slightly slower but still satisfactory rate.
