ACSA is ready for huge festive season rush

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced that it is ready to welcome large volumes of travellers to its airports across the country this festive season, with contingency plans and strategies in place to deal with the busiest days of the year.​​

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ACSA POSITION APPROACHING FESTIVE SEASON

According to ACSA, the organisation is currently in its peak season which started at the end of October 2023 and runs until the end of March 2024, for which preparation started three to four months ago. The group Is now ramping up to ensure smooth operations and a seamless traveller experience during the busy December-January time frame.

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“We are ready to face the festive season and I’m confident that our carefully planned response to the massive numbers of passengers who will be passing through our airport network is more than adequate to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for holidaymakers,” said ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu.

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THE START OF THE BUSY SEASON FOR OR TAMBO

“In terms of the busiest days and weeks during the festive season, OR Tambo International Airport’s busiest week is expected to be between 11 and 17 December, with its busiest day set to be 11 December when 285 departing and 292 arriving aircraft movements are predicted, with 28 727 passengers departing and 29 315 passengers arriving at the airport.”Mpofu

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Cape Town International Airport’s busiest week will be between 1 and 7 January, with 1 January being the busiest day with 264 aircraft movements and 32 750 passengers arriving and departing. King Shaka International Airport is set to record its busiest week between 11 and 17 December, with 14 December expected to be its busiest day with 131 aircraft movements and 19 602 passengers moving through the airport.

ACSA’s three main airports – OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport and King Shaka International Airport – continue to account for 85% of all air passenger traffic in South Africa, with OR Tambo International accounting for 49% of all departing traffic.

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STRATEGIES IN PLACE TO DEAL WITH LARGE VOLUMES

Terence Delomoney, Group Executive Operations Management at ACSA, added that Airports Company’s peak season strategy will ensure that the airports are adequately resourced, positioned and capacitated to handle the huge volumes of passengers. The strategy involves collaboration by various stakeholders, among them ACSA, the airports, the South African Police Service and the Border Management Authority, as well as other state entities that have each contributed an operational deployment plan for the festive season.

“The main factors that were considered in Airports Company’s peak season planning include infrastructure availability (such as parking and check-in counters), capacity and demand analysis, fuel management and operational risk mitigation plans.”Delomoney

Delomoney further explained that through this plan, every stakeholder is aware of what to expect and what is expected of them regarding resource planning for the busiest time.