OR Tambo International Airport’s midfield cargo expansion plans are set to be completed in the next five years, Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) general manager, Jabulani Khambule, has told a media conference.
“It is a new cargo terminal that we are going to operate because the existing cargo terminal is very constrained at this point,” he said.
Delving into passenger numbers, Khambule said international and domestic volumes at OR Tambo were steadily recovering to pre-pandemic levels, following a boost over the festive season and a strong start to the year.
Domestic passenger volumes at the airport totaled 720 816 in February this year, which reflect a 77% recovery rate when compared to the same month in 2019, slightly down from January when domestic passenger volumes totaled 731 188 – a 78% recovery rate.
December last year saw a total volume of 837 611 domestic passengers – a 79% recovery rate.
International passenger volumes are recovering at a slightly slower rate. In February, the total number of international passengers stood at 486 422, which is a 72% recovery rate compared to the same month in 2019.
In January, the airport recorded a total number of 582 372 international passengers (a 71% recovery rate), while in December last year, the airport recorded 646 847 international passengers – a 70% recovery rate.
“We are pleased with the rate of recovery for both domestic and international passengers at OR Tambo, with the recovery to near pre-pandemic numbers being spurred on by the increased demand during peak season,” Khambule said.
“We are also satisfied that our response to the peak season passenger volumes was adequate and allowed us to comfortably deal with the increased numbers of travellers passing through our airport.
“Thanks to our Integrated Peak Season Plan, we were able to ensure that we had sufficient resources on hand to meet demand and be able to deliver," Khambule added.
In terms of the upcoming Easter holiday next week, he revealed that OR Tambo would deploy a similar Integrated Peak Season Plan to cope with the surge in passenger numbers.
The recovery is regarded as progressive, considering that the International Air Transport Association had earlier stated that passenger traffic would only recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2025.
