Major South African airports score well in international on-time rankings

3rd July 2018 By: Rebecca Campbell - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Major South African airports score well in international on-time rankings

An Embraer ERJ-145 airliner of Airlink taxiing at ACSA’s OR Tambo International Airport
Photo by: Duane Daws/Creamer Media

South Africa’s three main airports have each been awarded four-star ratings for flight punctuality, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced. The rankings were awarded by global flight information provider OAG.

The maximum number of stars that can be awarded in the OAG On-Time Performance (OTP) Ratings is five, and only the top 10% of airports and airlines are given five stars. ACSA aims to join that 10%.

The four-star South African airports are all owned and operated by ACSA. The best performer amongst them was Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, with 84.8% on-time performance. This was followed by Cape Town International Airport (84.4%) and Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (82.9%).

“Operating large airports is a complex business that involves coordination and integration among thousands of people who provide the services required for aircraft to be able to land and take-off at the scheduled times,” pointed out ACSA chief operating officer (Ms) Fundi Sithebe. “When running an airport, one relatively small problem in one area has the potential to create a knock-on effect across the system. This is why it is key for management of airports to focus closely not only on the major elements of delivering on-time performance, but also on things that are perceived to be trivial.”

The OTP ratings are determined over a rolling 12-month timeframe. To qualify for a rating, all airports and airlines must fulfil two criteria. Each must have at least 600 operations a month and they must supply OAG with flight status information for at least 80% of scheduled flights during the 12 months.

“We have in place good people, good systems and world-class infrastructure,” she highlighted. “We know that it is possible to get to the top and this is what motivates us.”

ACSA is Africa’s largest airport operator, responsible for nine South African airports. In addition to the three already mentioned, these are Bram Fischer International Airport (Bloemfontein), East London Airport, George Airport, Kimberley Airport, Port Elizabeth Airport and Upington Airport.