New parking arrangements to know about at OR Tambo International Airport

The cost of your ticket when exiting the airport parking bay might just exceed your airplane ticket.

September 9, 2020

Danielle Garrett 2 minutes read

If you plan on taking a trip that requires air travel, you might want to prepare yourself on the new and amended airport access, parking arrangements and health protocols as set out by OR Tambo International Airport.

With the average return ticket from Johannesburg to Durban costing anything from R1 000 – R5 000 depending on the airline, peak times and flight availability, the cost of your parking ticket when exiting the airport parking bay, might just exceed your airplane ticket.

Motorists who have used the long-term parking have complained of excessive parking ticket bills that amount to thousands of rands for short periods of time.

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According to Samukelo Khambule, Corporate Affairs at OR Tambo International Airport, parking arrangements were communicated in multiple news releases and broadcasts up until commencement of alert level 2 operations at the airport.

“We informed the public through these channels about important changes to airport access and parking arrangements as well as the health protocols being applied,” Khambule said.

“We advised that the upper and lower roads remain closed. The pick-up and drop-off parking area that was previously used also remains closed. We appealed then and appeal again now, to passengers to note the new vehicle access and parking arrangements and to plan accordingly.”

Parkade 2 South level 2 is to pick up passengers only. Level 3 is the new drop-off area and passenger parking. Level 4 is for general parking.

“Different tariffs apply on these levels. As with the previous drop-off area, there is a grace period of 20 minutes’ free parking on level 2. After that, the higher tariffs that apply reflect the need to keep vehicles moving through level 2 as the designated drop-off zone.”

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The amended parking tariffs looks like this:

Level 2 parking (Only to be used as a pick-up point for passengers)

– 0 – 20 minutes are free

– 21 – 40 minutes: R30

– 41 – 60 minutes: R60

– Thereafter, the rate is R60 per hour.

“Tariffs are lower on levels 3 and 4.”

Level 3 parking (for the drop-off of passengers and passenger parking)

– 0 – 1 hours: R25

– 1 – 2 hours: R44

– 2 – 3 hours: R48

– 3 – 4 hours: R68

– 4 – 12 hours: R175

– 12 – 24 hours: R190

– Thereafter, for every 12 hours or part thereof the rate is R95.

“Any passenger who left their vehicle on level 3 or level 4 and was charged more than the published rates may contact the airport’s parking office at Customercare@airports.co.za.”

The passenger will need to provide a parking receipt that shows the parkade level that they used.

“As the airport parkade is equipped with licence plate recognition technology, this may be used to verify the level on which the passenger’s vehicle was parked,” Khambule concluded.