Prepare for a ‘construction site’: Big changes coming to an airport near you

MPs ask for 'a real picture' of operations after ACSA says R22 billion airport infrastructure projects will be completed by 2032. Members of the Portfolio Committee on Transport expressed their frustrations and concerns after representatives from the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) discussed the rollout of projects and their productivity. MPs are concerned that these organisations may not be as prepared for the infrastructure deadlines as they claim, especially after ACSA noted that airports will become construction sites over the next few years. Airports will become construction sites Solomon Mokoena, the Capital Infrastructure and Asset Management Executive at ACSA, noted that these projects will turn airports into real construction sites. “As we transition major projects to renew, refurbish, and expand infrastructure across a network of our nine airports, we will gradually move from planning to implementation and real delivery,” he said. “And this will turn our airports into real construction sites,” Mokoena added. R22 Billion Airport Projects Mokoena said that 11 of the 12 projects are expected to be completed by 2031. However, repairs along the JHB Cargo Midfield, a new multi-billion-rand air freight and logistics terminal being developed at OR Tambo International Airport, are expected to take longer than five years. “OR Tambo is expected to be completed outside the five-year window, around March 2032,” he explained. “The delivery program will occur in waves, the first wave of completion is expected around 2027, this will include the delivery of CCTV replacement programme and the OR Tambo warehouse refurbishment,” Mokoena said. Roll-out of airside projects He explained that significant delivery will occur in 2029. This will include the rehabilitation of the Kimberley Airport and OR Tambo Airside Corridors. “This second wave will also include the construction and commissioning of a brand new 5 500 x 60 m runway at the Cape Town International Airport,” he said. Other large projects scheduled for completion between 2031 and 2032, include terminal development at the Cape Town International Airport. A security programme which includes smart detection, automated links, issues permits, and controls access is also scheduled for completion during the 2029 wave. “Ultimately these investments will improve safety, regulatory compliance, airport capacity and operational resilience, while making passenger journeys safer, faster, and more convenient across all our airports.” Mokoena said. Will there be delays? MP Ntombovuyo Nkopane asked about critical safety upgrades and TBC status. “Why are critical instruments’ learning system (ILS) safety upgrades in Durban and East London listed as TBC (to be confirmed) for start days and timelines extending out as far as 2031?” and observed that Durban has been delayed to March 2028 and 2031. “And with East London being pushed to 2029 and Port Elizabeth is expected to be completed by September 2026, which is just next month,” Nkopane said. She explained that the September 2026 deadline is around the corner and asked how ready the organisations are to meet the September deadline. MP Makashule Gana pointed out that each time meetings are held with the portfolio committee, “rosy pictures are presented, and we are told that all is well.” Are we really united? He explained that he was caught off guard when the chairperson spoke about how united they are. “You mentioned that we are a ‘united’ board about 13 times; that was my count,” Gana said. “If there is one thing that is kind of consistent with the entities in transport, it is that they will all profess to being united and two days later, you’ll hear that an executive has been suspended,” he explained. “Is there anyone that’s got the potential or a suspicion or probability of being suspended that we are going to read about in the coming weeks?” Gana asked. He further explained that when the Department of Transport presented their Quarter Performance reports, “they were giving such a good picture of entities including SAA.” “It didn’t even take 72 hours after that meeting and the Acting Chief Executive of SA Airways was suspended,” he emphasised. “Whilst one will be excited to hear the word ‘united’, the reality is that in many of our entities, the daggers are out for each other, and I just want the board to say it with their chest,” Gana said. He noted that the presentation was initially very visually appealing, especially when the graphs showed significant increases and minimal decreases. “But when you start opening your eyes and look closer, you realise that actually the reds are actually the majority being far greater than the green,” he added. “I think we need to start getting a real picture of what is happening,” Gana emphasised. Suggestions for improvement He also emphasised that, from a performance perspective, certain aspects need to be better represented. Noting an incident that occurred a few weeks ago where one of Air Kenya’s flights was delayed to Cape Town due to a tyre burst on the runway, which took more than three hours to clear. He suggested that their response time to incidents on the runway could be improved. “The ‘unity’ that the board chair is speaking of, maybe by next year this time we’ll know whether it is real or it was a possibility that was never realised,” Gana concluded. Safety risks Frustration continued among MPs when Chris Malematja questioned the processes for emergency landings and pointed out that the new board cannot say it is ‘united’ when it has only met once in April. However, the Executive of the Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AIID) at SACAA, Themba Thabethe, said that the absolute number of aircraft accidents has reduced by 40% and emphasised that the accident rate in the airline and scheduled operations is 0%. Adding that safety recommendations have been systematically deployed to reduce safety risks. SACAA noted that a total of 33 safety recommendations have been issued from April 2025 to date, adding that 23 have already been implemented and closed. On the road to recovery The chairperson of ACSA, Irvin Phenyane, provided MPs with a summary of projects that are being implemented by the airport company. “We are up in the air, rolling out our R22 billion infrastructure over the next three to five years,” Phenyane said. He explained that ACSA began implementing these projects around 2020. “[The] Covid-19 [pandemic] affected us. We lost a lot of mileage during the last five to six years, but we are glad to report that ACSA is on recovery.” He concluded by emphasising that the team is focused on growth and innovation.