OR Tambo Airport geared for its busiest day on Thursday

Management and staff of OR Tambo International Airport are geared up to handle more than 35 000 departing passengers today (Thursday), which is projected to be the airport’s busiest day of the Easter period.

The airport’s analysis and projections show that domestic departures are expected to be 12% up on the busiest day over Easter 2018. International departures are anticipated to be 33% higher than for the busiest day over Easter 2018.

The next peak is expected on Monday when about 37 000 domestic and international passengers will arrive at the airport.

Bongiwe Pityi-Vokwana, general manager of the airport, says the peak period planning covers all the passenger, baggage and aircraft handling and operational processes that need to be seamlessly coordinated to ensure a pleasant passenger experience.

Among the Easter travellers, many will be first-time flyers, children and elderly people who are not regular travelers. She notes that the operational demands are therefore different at this time due to the different passenger mix.

“Our planning covers three streams of activity: event management, operational efficiency and delay management. Our teams are on duty from 4.30am to manage security, parking, queueing, baggage and aircraft preparation operations.”

She says that, in addition, managers and supervisors are “walking the airport” to ensure they have a first-hand view of how passengers are progressing.

“We have contingency plans for possible problems or breakdowns in all of our systems. Each team has a response time that ranges from five to 10 minutes at the maximum.

“Our entire team is motivated and determined to ensure that passengers start their journeys smoothly. Should problems arise, we are equally determined to manage them swiftly and effectively,” says Pityi-Vokwana.

“Passengers who need help must approach our information help desks, strategically located within our international and domestic departure and arrival terminal buildings.”