OR Tambo International Airport anticipates more than 210 000 passengers will pass through its doors in September as the recovery in demand for domestic air travel begins to gain momentum.
This comes after OR Tambo General Manager Bongiwe Pityi-Vokwana spoke at a briefing on Friday on readiness to facilitate greater volumes of passengers.
Pityi-Vokwana said the gradual recovery in demand would be positive for thousands of employees and hundreds of small businesses within the airport’s ecosystem.
Already airlines have booked airport slots for more than 2 500 flights to depart from and arrive at the airport for the month. The anticipated load factor, critical for airline sustainability, is 85 percent.
“We are seeing encouraging signs that there is confidence in our ability to provide a safe environment for passengers across the journey from check-in to baggage collection at destinations,” said Pityi-Vokwana.
“The forecast figure of 210 000 passengers for September is only some 12 percent of what we would have experienced before the pandemic. However, we are re-building from virtually zero with just 575 passengers for the entire month of May, for example.”
She added that she believes the industry is on the road to recovery and that “demand will accelerate with Spring weather and growing trust that we are applying health protocols rigorously and consistently”.
Since the start of level 2 last week, airport management reported that passengers appeared comfortable with the health rules and processes, many of which have already become normalised across the country.
On-time departure performance for airlines is currently 95 percent in spite of the additional processes and time required for passengers to proceed from parking to check-in, health screening and security.