JOHANNESBURG – The OR Tambo International Airport expects to receive about 4 million passengers this festive season with tourists expected to pour into South Africa.
The general manager of the airport, Bongiwe Pityi-Vokwana, said on Wednesday that this was always a very busy time for the airport.
“Among the 4 million passengers, most of them will be first-time flyers and a substantial number of elderly people. The operational demands are therefore different at this time of year because of the different passenger mix,” said Pityi-Vokwana.
“But I can assure travellers that it is all hands on deck for and we are ready. We look forward to a successful festive period and wish the best at this time for our passengers, staff and stakeholders.”
The Airport said its law enforcement agencies executing against the government-approved Integrated Multi-Disciplinary Plan has achieved notable successes in intercepting drug concealments over the past 12 months with 1 186 seizures of drugs with a total street value of R2.9 billion.
Pityi-Vokwana says she proud of security teams who have demonstrated a tireless work ethic, often forfeiting meal breaks and willingly volunteering for overtime.
“Over 90 percent of the successes achieved by our passenger and hand luggage x-ray screening staff is attributable to diligence, teamwork and well-trained eyes studying passenger behavioural trends.”