South African airports must become more efficient in processing aircraft as well as local and international arrivals if the country is to make the most of the strongest resurgence in tourism since the Covid lockdown.
This is according to Radisson Collection Hotel, Waterfront Cape Town general manager Clinton Thom, who said the tourism sector was seeing a major upswing from both local and international tourists, and this presented opportunities and challenges.
“It’s very important [for airports to have capacity]. We rely on flights, both international and domestic, and capabilities to have and accept and process flights correctly, having the guests arrive, put through home affairs, being able to refuel and maintain airplanes, and having that airplane land at the right time.
“Look at what the cruise ship industry has done for Cape Town. That speaks volumes of how the industry has increased over the past few years. So, any arrival into Cape Town, through air, ship or road, is vital. We can’t let any of it fail.”
The Radisson Collection Hotel at the V&A Waterfront first opened in 2000, and has 175 rooms across four floors. Thom says while the hotel could be geared to primarily attract international tourists, the group believed it was also well-placed to host local tourists all year round.
Thom’s remarks come as Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) reported a successful performance during the 2024 peak travel period, with a 91% recovery to pre-pandemic levels and a 5% year-on-year increase in total passenger traffic.
We rely on flights, both international and domestic, and capabilities to have and accept and process flights correctly, having the guests arrive, put through home affairs, being able to refuel and maintain airplanes, and having that airplane land at the right time.
Acsa announced that it processed 3.7-million passengers in December 2024, that total passenger traffic was underpinned by the return of critical international airline routes, new airline entrants and a boost in flight frequencies.
Acsa CEO Mpumi Mpofu said: “Despite some challenges, our ability to navigate these complexities and maintain a high standard of service is a reflection of the resilience of our staff and the strength of our team. Our outlook for 2025/26 is positive, and we are committed to leveraging this momentum to further improve and grow the Acsa network.”
According to UK-based travel data provider OAG’s Global Airline Schedules, OR Tambo International Airport has been ranked among the top 10 busiest airports in the Middle East and Africa, having facilitated more than 12-million scheduled seats this year.
The airport handled more than 17.8-million passengers in the fiscal year April—March 2024 and more than 204,000 aircraft movements during the same period.
In January, Cape Town International Airport experienced disruptions caused by a damaged electrical cable, but repairs were completed, and power was fully restored within three hours. “The recent cable damage... was promptly addressed, with... [the] activation of emergency power... ensuring critical airport operations continued, additional cooling and ventilation, strengthening of redundant power supply systems [and] continuous assessment of power infrastructure to mitigate potential future disruptions.”
Also in January, a fire at the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa refinery affected fuel production nationally, but enough supply was secured for OR Tambo for the month after 27.1-million litres were made available. The airport now commonly uses about 3.6-million litres of jet fuel a day.
“Acsa, in collaboration with Natref, airlines... secured alternative fuel supply sources, engaged the Fuel Forum and the Fuels Industry Association to ensure... fuel distribution encouraged refuelling at alternative airports and worked on interventions, such as establishing strategic aviation fuel reserves.”
According to the latest Stats SA data on international arrivals released earlier this month, 8.92-million total arrivals were registered in 2024, marking a 5.1% increase from 2023.
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