Big changes to South Africa’s largest airport

The government is planning an extensive capex programme of R21.7 billion, with plans to transform the cargo and logistics area at OR Tambo International Airport over the next three to eight years. 

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy revealed this in a recent response to a parliamentary question.

ANC Parliamentary Whip Christopher Nakampe Malematja asked the minister whether she had found that the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) infrastructure would efficiently handle increased air traffic to the country’s different international airports.

He also asked whether the number of international and regional flights to South Africa has increased in the past year.

Creecy responded that based on the analysis of air traffic growth over the past four years, regional and international flights have consistently increased. 

“If we consider the year-on-year growth between 2023 and 2024, we are anticipating growth of 4.85% for regional and 4.26% for international movements,” she said. 

She further said that ACSA’s total departing passenger traffic recovered to 88% in the 2023/24 financial year, relative to the pre-pandemic level, facilitating over 18.3 million passengers. 

The recovery rate in international and domestic traffic averaged between 87% and 88%, respectively, surpassing the prior year by 16%. This resulted in 2.5 million additional passengers supported by domestic and international traffic.

In addition, regional traffic recovered by 84%, owing to the increased capacity from new routes and route expansions by airlines like South African Airways, Eswatini Air, Airlink, Cemair and Air Botswana.

Creecy said that, based on the current and forecasted increases in movements, ATNS’ technical infrastructure capacity is sufficient to manage the changes in volume. 

“The capital investment and renewal plan are also planned around the growth in movements to ensure sufficient capacity and functionality in support of the planned Air Traffic Management services,” she said.

In January 2024, the approved permission for this plan was gazetted, which provides a framework for the tariff increase, which will enable infrastructure investment in the airports managed by ACSA. This plan was put on hold for years due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

“This focus is intended to restore ACSA’s airport infrastructure to world-class standards after the ravaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and to expand facilities to meet the next decades of passenger and trade facilitation requirements,” she explained.

In addition, this plan will respond to opportunities in the industry, including the growth of Air Cargo and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Creecy said that, from the 2025 financial year onwards, ACSA’s primary focus will be on implementing the approved permission granted by the Airport Economic Regulator Authority to enhance efficiency and capacity across the airport network. 

“This permission includes an extensive capex programme of R21.7 billion over the remaining four years, featuring plans to transform the cargo and logistics area at OR Tambo International Airport over the next three to eight years,” she said.

This will position OR Tambo as a leading air transport hub in the southern hemisphere.

“This is the largest allocation since the preparations for World Cup 2010,” ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu recently said. “You will see a change in our airports that is as big as we did when we were preparing for the World Cup.”

In April this year, the Skytrax World Airport Awards ranked the top 100 airports in the world in 2024. These awards offer coveted accolades for airports worldwide and are seen as a global benchmark of airport excellence.

No South African airports cracked the top 50, but three of them made it into the top 100 ranking.

Cape Town International Airport ranked 54th, Durban’s King Shaka International Airport ranked 72th, and OR Tambo International ranked last among the local airports at 83rd.