'Airfreight handlers will cope'

Leonard Neill AN ESTIMATED 40 000 delegates are expected to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Sandton at the end of August, but handling companies at Johannesburg International Airport are confident of being able to service their baggage and freight needs. The airport's handling companies have a great deal of experience in dealing with large events, says Apron Services executive manager Bob Gurr, with presidential inaugurations, Commonwealth Heads of State and the African Union delegations among them. "We are expecting few problems and will liaise closely with all relevant authorities to ensure smooth arrivals and departures for the delegates. "At this stage it is extremely difficult to estimate the additional handling that will occur. Many delegates and heads of state will be arriving on normal commercial flights and the rest do not normally advise their intentions until quite late in proceedings, but we are always able to attend to their needs. "Also, a number of the smaller flights will operate to the Waterkloof Air Force Base." No official comments are being made by any authorities on the likelihood of vast numbers of protesters attending the two-week summit but general feeling is that the majority of these will have to arrive on either normal commercial scheduled flights, which presents no additional handling problems, or will fly in on chartered aircraft which will, in most instances, land at other airports.