Employees stand in a hangar after removing catering items from an Airbus Group NV A340-600 aircraft during a live weight saving demonstration by South African Airways at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
Both the domestic and international passenger volumes and aircraft movements at OR Tambo International Airport are steadily recovering to pre-pandemic levels, following a boost over the festive season and a strong start to the year, according to the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa).
The majority state-owned South African airport management company said that domestic passenger volumes at the airport totalled 720 816 in February this year, which reflected a 77% recovery rate when compared to the same month in 2019, slightly down from January when domestic passenger volumes totalled 731 188 (a 78% recovery rate) and December last year, which saw a total volume of 837 611 domestic passengers (a 79% recovery rate).
International passenger volumes were recovering at a slightly slower rate but were nonetheless showing a satisfactory rate of recovery. In February, the total number of international passengers stood at 486 422, which was a 72% recovery rate compared to the same month in 2019.
In January, the airport recorded a total number of 582 372 international passengers (a 71% recovery rate), while in December last year it recorded 646 847 international passengers (a 70% recovery rate).
OR Tambo International Airport general manager Jabulani Khambule said they were pleased with the rate of recovery for both domestic and international passengers at the airport, with the recovery to near pre-pandemic numbers being spurred on by the increased demand during peak season.
“We are also satisfied that our response to the peak season passenger volumes was adequate and allowed us to comfortably deal with the increased numbers of travellers passing through our airport.
“Thanks to our Integrated Peak Season Plan, we were able to ensure that we had sufficient resources on hand to meet demand and be able to deliver a world-class passenger (service),” Khambule said.
He also said that a number of airlines would commence flights into and out of the airport this year. These included Air Algerie and Eswatini Air, which started operating scheduled flights this month.
International carrier FlySafair was expected to add a new route between Johannesburg and Zanzibar from April 1, while Latam Airlines was expected to commence scheduled flights between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo, Brazil, in August next year. Additionally, Cathay Pacific was expected to resume flights between Johannesburg and Hong Kong in August this year.
Last year also saw a number of airlines commencing flights into and out of the airport, with Air Belgium having started operating flights between Johannesburg and Brussels in September, while Air Cote d’Ivoire commenced operations in July with flights between Johannesburg and Kinshasa and Condor started flights between Johannesburg and Frankfurt, Germany, in November.
In addition, SAA added two new routes in December last year, between Johannesburg and Windhoek, Namibia, and Johannesburg and Victoria Falls, Zambia.
“We are always pleased to welcome new airlines to OR Tambo International Airport, as new carriers spell good news for South Africa, as well as the southern African region.
“As the main transport hub and gateway into Africa, OR Tambo not only provides airlines with world-class and secure infrastructure, but we also play a pivotal role in promoting tourism, economic growth and job creation,” Khambule said.
Currently, the airport boasts 46 operating airlines, including three regional, five domestic and 38 international carriers.
“Welcoming new airlines to OR Tambo is a key focus for us, as the airport play a crucial role in providing the link that facilitates the movement of goods and services, as well as people, in the region for both economic and cultural exchanges among the nations of the African continent,” Khambule added.
He noted that Acsa had also completed a number of enhancements made at the airport, with the aim of providing a world-class and seamless experience for passengers. This includes the roll-out of the South African Traveller Management System (SATMS) in conjunction with the South African Revenue Service (Sars).
“SATMS is a web-based application that enables travellers entering and leaving the country to pre-declare goods purchased, received or otherwise acquired and pay applicable taxes. This is part of Sars’ efforts to strengthen its controls to detect and deter illicit financial flows,” Khambule said.
“The system makes it easy and simple for travellers to comply with their legal obligations. Sars plans to implement this new system at all points of entry within the coming year, following the completion of a successful pilot project at King Shaka International Airport.”
OR Tambo International Airport will also be welcoming E-gates. E-gates have biometric scanners that will allow South African passport holders to be processed through immigration without visiting an immigration officer.
This will provide several benefits, including increased processing rate at immigration and reduced waiting times, which will result in a vastly improved passenger experience.
Khambule further noted that the project to upgrade the airport’s parking infrastructure, which included the replacement of ageing equipment to ensure the parking process remains reliable and efficient, is progressing.
“We currently have a total of more than 12 000 parking bays available and operational at OR Tambo International Airport, and the infrastructure upgrade will ensure that passengers and visitors to our airport can enjoy a seamless and hassle-free experience, whether making use of our short-term or long-term parking facilities,” he said.
“The revamped parking system now includes multiple payment options, additional high-tech security elements, round the clock surveillance and variable parking fees.”
Khambule said the relocation of public transport operators such as e-hailing, shuttles and metre taxis was one of the interventions that the airport had embarked on to ease traffic congestion on the roadways. The Central pick-up and drop-off, Parkade 2 – level 2 enabled passengers to get into their preferred transport swiftly, leave the airport effortlessly and be dropped off seamlessly and access the terminal.
Focus projects for 2023
The important upcoming project at the airport included the refurbishments of the roofs, an ablution facility revamp and the development of the intermodular transport facility.
Khambule explained that this was a facility particularly for airport employees.
The recent Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for South Africa report published earlier this month sheds light on how the pandemic affected the tourism sector over the period January 2020 to December 2020, most notably in terms of production, expenditure and employment.
According to it, local tourism was hit hard during the first year of the pandemic, according to the most recent data. The Covid-19 lockdown and subsequent travel restrictions severely limited the number of non-resident visitors gracing SA shores. Non-resident visitors entering through ports of entry slumped from 14.8 million in 2019 to 3.9 million in 2020.
The downturn in non-resident visitor numbers had a ripple effect across the tourism sector. The immediate impact was less inbound tourism expenditure – the much-needed foreign currency that non-resident visitors spend during their stay. Inbound tourism expenditure declined by 70.5% in 2020 compared with 2019. Domestic tourism expenditure also decreased in 2020, with resident visitors spending 32.8% less than they did in 2019.
Internal tourism expenditure (inbound and domestic expenditure grouped together), decreased from R455.8 billion in 2019 to R260.4bn in 2020. The tourism sector therefore lost R195.4bn in tourism spend in 2020.
BUSINESS REPORT