Acsa extends validity of airport access permits

JOY ORLEK AN AMICABLE agreement between Airports Company SA and its stakeholders last week has led to an extension of the validity of current Acsa airport access permits at Johannesburg International Airport to October 31. This follows major congestion at the entrance to the foreign airlines building at JIA last week when Acsa summarily withdrew all permits and insisted that all visitors sign a register to gain entry to the cargo area. A concerned reader alerted FTW to the problems last Friday (September 8), describing a situation of chaos on the congested access roads as permit-holders waited in long queues to sign in. Acsa has conceded that the confiscation of valid permits was an error and permits have been returned to their owners. These can still be used to enter the gates into the foreign airlines building. Holders of valid Acsa permits need not fill in the entry book at the gate and the Airline Cargo Operators’ Committee and Acsa have agreed that cargo can be drawn on the Acsa permit until a new system is introduced. The SA Association of Freight Forwarders, Acoc and the international Technology Asset Protection Association are close to finalising the format of a replacement permit. “A memorandum of understanding will be drawn up by Saaff, Acoc and Acsa in terms of which the future will be decided,” Richard Mallabone, Saaff’s director for security and aviation, told FTW. “Acoc and Saaff will set up a meeting to demonstrate the new permit system that is currently being tested,” he said. Changes to the permit access system are security driven, which stakeholders fully support, but practical concerns need to be addressed first. Saaff executive officer Chris Richards explained that the Acsa permit had historically been used for access to the foreign airlines building and had for many years been accepted by foreign airlines and cargo handlers as proof of identity. “Ground handlers would never hand over cargo without proof of identity – and freight forwarders, importers and exporters have used the Acsa permit as that proof.” In recent times, however, in the interests of security, Acsa has introduced various categories of permit based on the needs of the permit holder. “At the same time Saaff, the Acoc and Tapa have been working on a new permit system that was expected to be up and running by September 15 – but this didn’t happen and Acsa mistakenly went ahead and confiscated valid permits, leading to the recent fiasco." The card system mooted by Saaff, Acsa and Tapa is currently in the testing phase, and once all problem areas have been ironed out, it will replace the current system. Until then, the status quo prevails.