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A quiet check-in counter at Cape Town International Airport, where Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula conducted an inspection prior to the reopening of international travel on October 1. (Photo: Suné Payne)
With international travel resuming after the international travel ban at the start of the Covid-19 shutdown in South Africa in March, all systems are in place; all the airport company South Africa is waiting for is the list of countries from which visitors will be allowed.
Cape Town International Airport is ready to resume international travel, says the CEO of the South African Airports Company (Acsa), Mpumi Mpofu. During the shutdown, the airport’s revenue had been “decimated,” he said. With the resumption of international travel in October, things are looking up.
Mpofu spoke with Daily maverick while Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula inspected the airport’s readiness to accept international travelers.
“From the 1st [of October] going forward, we can only grow, “said Mpofu, adding that, in addition to waiting for the list of countries from which visitors can travel,” we are ready to go. ” There have been requests from airlines to land in South Africa, but airlines were also waiting for the approved list of countries of origin.
Mpofu said that South African airports had been “decimated” and that it could take up to five years to recover revenue lost during the Covid-19 shutdown.
Listen to this voice clip from Mpofu explaining the airport cash crisis and recovery plans for the next several months:
Mpofu said Daily maverick on the future of the airport and how Covid-19 affected these plans:
“If there is one lesson we have learned from Covid, it is that airports are exciting places but they do not have to be related to passenger income, and that is exactly the diversification strategy that we are going to carry out so that we remain financially viable. . ”
Cape Town International Airport, along with OR Tambo and King Shaka International, will be the only airports in South Africa allowed to accept foreign travelers when international travel resumes on October 1, it said. President Cyril Ramaphosa this month. Following the announcement by Ramaphosa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma He said other ministers would be announcing the new regulations.
International travel will resume as SA moves to Level One
According to a media advisory sent this week, Mbalula was supposed to announce new regulations and travel directives while conducting an inspection of airport facilities. This was her third visit to the airports; she had previously visited OR Tambo and King Shaka to inspect their availability.
Despite being an hour late for the briefing, Mbalula did not announce new regulations, only inspected the airport facilities. When pressed for information on regulations, he would only say that the department was “looking at” the opening of more train lines, including the resumption of long-distance services and increased cargo capacity for taxi operations. long distance.
He said the department was “looking at all countries from Dubai … we will announce next week.” The Department of Transportation is working with the departments of health, home affairs, and international relations and cooperation to determine the countries from which travelers would be allowed.
When asked about the new regulations, Mbalula said: “Before October 1 you will know.”
During the inspection, Mpofu said Daily maverick the airport expects 180,000 visitors on 820 flights during October.
Two initiatives announced by the airport were the introduction of thermal scanners that can detect passengers with high temperatures as they pass through the scanning stations, and turn them into an electronic system, which will facilitate the travel system for travelers.
After taking a tour of the airport’s heat detectors, inspection sections, and disinfection stations, Mbalula declared that the airport was ready to accept international travel.
South African Minister of Transport #fikilembalula gives the go-ahead for international flights to resume at Cape Town International Airport on #HeritageDay
He inspected the airport’s availability before international travel resumed on October 1. @dailymaverick pic.twitter.com/a3xbaJTa9h– Sune ‘Payne (@SunePayne) September 24, 2020
Mbalula is expected to reveal the new travel regulations next week, before international travel reopens on October 1. DM
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