THE NEW swipe card permit system at the security gates at the Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) cargo section raised howls of complaint from FTW readers who complained of long queues and lengthy delays at the new high speed entry facility. But, said Karel Minnie of the Airports Company (AC) - responsible for managing the new high-tech security system - this was a purely temporary affair.
The people being held up are not those who have already obtained their permit cards, Minnie told FTW. It's those who haven't got cards and are trying to get their applications for ad hoc permits filled-out and processed. Minnie sees no need for more staff at the gates to handle what is described as a passing problem of delay.
According to AC reckoning, about 75% of those who will eventually be permit holders have already got their cards, and the remaining quarter are still to apply. And there's no delay there, said Minnie. We process the cards as soon as we get the applications. But, if it turns out that there are a lot more once-off visitors calling at JIA for air cargo deliveries than were expected, and complaints of delay remain common, possibly a bit of a management pro-active rethink about conditions at the gates might be in order.
