Having spent R17-billion upgrading South Africa’s airports, since 2006, State-owned airport operator Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is confident that the country’s airports will be ready to receive FIFA World Cup visitors.

Acsa group manager for communications Solomon Makgale says that, at the time of the official announcement that South Africa would host the FIFA World Cup, Acsa was already finalising plans to upgrade the country’s airports.

The company initiated the expansion and upgrading of infrastructure across its network of ten airports four years ago.

“This infrastructure programme aims to [align] infrastructure with anticipated traffic growth. All infrastructure essen- tial to the successful facilitation of the FIFA World Cup was simply brought slightly forward. The FIFA World Cup takes place over a 30-day period and it would be wrong to build fixed, long-term structures meant only for a month-long event,” says Makgale.

However, temporary structures were being installed to accommodate traffic volumes during the World Cup, where infrastructure will not cope.

At the Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth airports, temporary terminal facilities, costing R8,9-mil- lion, will be ready to deal with the anticipated escalation in passenger numbers for flights by May.

“Because of these temporary terminals, we should be able to process 350 additional passengers an hour,” says Makgale.

OR Tambo International Air-port, in Gauteng, has received a R5,2-billion cash injection for upgrades, which includes the construction of a R2,2-billion central terminal building (CTB) completed in December, last year. Following the completion of this project, the airport will be able to process 28-million passengers a year.

“The CTB is the final building block in the complete redevelopment of the terminal precinct that started more than ten years ago. The building finally brings all the domestic and international areas into one space, which greatly improves passenger experience and orientation.”

Makgale says that the CTB development was undertaken in phases, with the first phase including a new atrium at international arrivals, which opened in September 2008, for individuals waiting for the arrival of international passengers, and additional retail facilities and an enlarged and remodelled food court opened in October 2008.

Stage two included an international arrivals terminal, an international to domestic recheck facility and the reconfiguration of temporary facilities, which were completed in December 2009.

“The CTB development has turned the airport into a one-terminal-building airport, where passengers, particularly transfer passengers, can now circulate seamlessly between the different facilities,” he says.

Makgale says that the recently completed pier and apron developments, that enable the airport to accommodate a new generation of large aircraft, complement the CTB, which is the flagship of OR Tambo International Airport. In February, Air France-KLM startedscheduled operations of their new super jumbo, the A380.

Other improvements include the construction of a R496-million multistorey parkade consisting of 16 500 parking bays and the installation of two 6 000-m³ fuel tanks, which cost R139-million.

Further, OR Tambo International Airport, the country’s key entry point, will also have a temporary facility for the processing of team arrivals, which will have a public viewing area adjacent to it.

Makgale says that Cape Town International Airport’s departures level is 80% complete. The airport’s R1,7-billion CTB will allow for the processing of 14-million passengers every year and is due to be completed this month, as are the reconfiguration and upgrading of the airport’s access roads and multistorey parkade.

“The smaller airports in the stable are seen as an integral part of the overall aviation network,” says Makgale, as many of them will also play a critical role in the success of the FIFA World Cup.

He says that the runway revamp and terminal expansion at Bloemfontein International Airport are complete, with the terminal upgrade and expansion at the East London, Kimberley and Upington airports almost complete.

At the Port Elizabeth International Airport, a runway refurbishment has also been completed.

Acsa communications manager for Durban Colin Naidoo says that the construction of the new King Shaka International Airport, at La Mercy, is over 95% complete.

“We are positive that the airport will be open for operation on May 1. We will have six weeks before the first FIFA World Cup game in Durban and will be ready to receive those fans, VIPs and teams.”

Naidoo says that Acsa has developed the R7-billion airport for 2010 and beyond.

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