Acsa to upgrade access roads at Ortia

The Airports Company
of South Africa (Acsa)
has established a
new client services
division as part of its Vision
2025 strategy to improve
its airfreight service, boost
capacity at its
nine domestic
airports, and
attract more
regional and
international
flights.
Bongiwe Pityi,
general manager
of OR Tambo
International
Airport (Ortia) –
admitted to FTW
recently that
Acsa’s knowledge
of airfreight and
its role in the
supply chain was limited.
“About two years ago we
recognised that we needed
to work more closely with
the airfreight industry to get
to grips with their needs so
that we can deliver the best
infrastructure required for the
total air cargo value chain,”
she said.
Pityi was candid about
errors in judgement when
it came to developing
infrastructure.
“Initially we
focused on
developing
facilities that
would fill airport
infrastructure
capacity. But
these were shortterm
plans.
Our real-time
support to cargo
stakeholders is
beginning to
make meaningful
contributions to
the growth and
sustainability of the sector,”
she said.
This includes aspects such
as making more warehouse
space available, addressing
congestion to and from
the airport, and providing
statistical and analytical
data to airlines and freight
forwarders to help them plan
better.
Acsa is now deploying
smart technologies, which
include the launch of an
Aviation Barometer to provide
quarterly insights into air
traffic movements, thus
providing a snapshot of the
state of air traffic relating to
cargo.
“This will also help us to be
more strategic in our planning
and provide more targeted
infrastructural investments,”
Pityi pointed out, noting
that even though airfreight
volumes had decreased,
analysts expected an upswing
soon.
Total air cargo processed
through Ortia in 2016 at
350 500 tonnes was about
10% down on the preceding
year. Despite this, the cargo
facilities at Ortia are already
operating close to capacity.
“The balancing act we
need to achieve is to have the
infrastructure in place for
when economic conditions
turn, but not so far in
advance that it creates an
unreasonable cost burden,”
Pityi said.
In the short-term, Acsa
will reconfigure and upgrade
the access and frontage roads
around the cargo buildings
at Ortia to ease congestion.
In the medium to long term,
plans for a midfield cargo
terminal are being aligned
with a master development
plan for the entire airport
precinct.
INSERT AND CAPTION
About two years
ago we recognised
that we needed to
work more closely
with the airfreight
industry.
– Bongiwe Pityi
CAPTION
OR Tambo International Airport handles 82% of air cargo in South Africa.