Acsa is currently in its peak season, which started at the end of October and runs until the end of March next year, for which preparation started three to four months ago. File
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has assured the public that it was ready to welcome large volumes of travellers to its airports across the country this festive season, with contingency plans and strategies in place to deal with the busiest days of the year.
Acsa is currently in its peak season, which started at the end of October and runs until the end of March next year, for which preparation started three to four months ago.
The group is now ramping up to ensure smooth operations and a seamless travel experience during the busy December-January time frame.
Acsa group executive for operations management Terence Delomoney on Friday said their peak season strategy will ensure that the airports were adequately resourced, positioned and capacitated to handle the huge volumes of passengers.
Delomoney said the main factors that were considered in Acsa’s peak season planning included infrastructure availability such as parking and check-in counters, capacity and demand analysis, fuel management and operational risk mitigation plans.
“A main focus area is the availability of key services and infrastructure across the airports to ensure that these operate reliably and efficiently,” Delomoney said.
“This includes lifts, escalators, travelators and trolleys—all the equipment needed to facilitate the seamless movement of passengers. In this area, Acsa has exceeded its availability targets.”
Acsa said each airport has made unique improvements to its infrastructure and services to ensure that travellers have a smooth and seamless customer journey.
For example, Cape Town International Airport has opened a new international business lounge for departing passengers and also expanded its hospitality and retail offerings in the domestic terminal.
OR Tambo International Airport parking project has completed the installation of new equipment and is in the final commissioning phase.
This includes new features like credit card tap in and out, as well as the ability to book parking through the Acsa app while additional long-stay parking will be provided for the upcoming holiday period.
King Shaka International Airport is working with the Border Management Authority to find ways to quickly and efficiently process the thousands of passengers who will fly in to board a cruise ship in Durban over the coming weeks.
Acsa CEO Mpumi Mpofu said they had seen a steady recovery over the past three years with 83% growth in passenger numbers and 87% in air traffic movements as of the end of October.
Mpofu said regional inland airports, such as Upington, Kimberley and Bram Fischer (Bloemfontein), continued to record good recovery rates, mainly as a result of slow normalisation in business travel and the core “visiting friends and relatives” (VFR) segment.
She said coastal airports were more reliant on leisure traffic and have thus not fared as well due to a significant reduction in leisure travel because of the increases in ticket prices as well as the impact high inflation and interest rates had on discretionary spending.
“In all three of our market segments—domestic, regional and international—new routes and route expansions by both local and foreign airlines continue to support the recovery of passenger traffic,” Mpofu said.
“This is evident from the fact that in the 2022/23 financial year, the overall growth of 33% in capacity led to a 50% increase in passenger traffic.”
BUSINESS REPORT