Vehicle rentals suffer as a result of Polokwane airport downgrade

The airport used to house over 15 car rental companies, but a recent visit to the airport confirmed that, while some of these companies have closed temporarily and others try to keep head above water, it surely is not business as usual.

One employee, who did not want to be named, said hard times befell several companies after the hard lockdown last year this time.

“When the rest of us returned to work, several businesses here did not open again, with as many as 50 employees having lost their jobs. With fewer flights now coming in, the situation is set to worsen.”

An employee from a vehicle rental company, who also did not want to be named, said the company was in the process of moving offices to the city centre as the location at the airport was no longer viable or profitable.

“The move has been a long time coming. We initially considered moving after the lockdown but decided to hang on. But now, with commercial flights being grounded and fewer clients making use of the services, we thought it better to start focusing on other clients who make use of our facilities in the city.

“The decision was motivated by the state of the airport, as we don’t think the downgrade will be lifted anytime soon.”

Khomotso Nkosi, Fleet Manager at KMP Car Hire says business has been slow, especially in terms of international clients.

“These customers used to rent vehicles for prolonged periods and we have now lost that income. At the moment we still manage to make some money through our local travellers, but we are feeling the effects of the downgrade.

It is true that business came to a standstill during lockdown, but just when we thought we made it out alive, this downgrade happened,” Nkosi concluded.