O. R. Tambo International Airport

O. R. Tambo International Airport Johannesburg International Airport
IATA: JNB ICAO: FAOR WMO: 68368
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Airports Company South Africa
Serves	Johannesburg, South Africa Pretoria, South Africa
Location	Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa
Hub for	Airlink Comair FlySafair South African Airways South African Express Mango Kulula
Elevation AMSL	5,558 ft / 1,694 m
Coordinates	26°08′21″S 028°14′46″E / 26.13917°S 28.24611°E / -26.13917; 28.24611Coordinates: 26°08′21″S 028°14′46″E / 26.13917°S 28.24611°E / -26.13917; 28.24611
Map
JNB Location in Greater Johannesburg
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 03L/21R 14,495 4,418 Asphalt 03R/21L 11,155 3,400 Asphalt
Statistics (Apr 2016 - Mar 2017)
Passengers 20,692,780 Aircraft movements 220,934 Economic impact $3.2 billion[1] Social impact 128.2 thousand[1]
Source: Passenger Statistics[2]

O. R. Tambo International Airport (IATA: JNB, ICAO: FAOR) (ORTIA) is a major international airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa,^[3] near the city of Johannesburg and, to a lesser extent, the executive capital Pretoria. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and is Africa's busiest airport with a capacity to handle up to 28 million passengers annually^[4] with non-stop flights to all continents except Antarctica. The airport is the hub of South Africa's largest international and domestic carrier, South African Airways (SAA), and a number of smaller local airlines. The airport handled a total of over 20 million passengers in 2016.^[5]

It was originally known as Jan Smuts International Airport^[6] (hence the airport's former ICAO code, "FAJS"), after South Africa's former prime minister of that name. The airport was renamed Johannesburg International Airport in 1994 when the newly reformed South African government implemented a national policy of not naming airports after politicians. The policy was however reversed later, and the airport renamed again on 27 October 2006 after Oliver Reginald Tambo, a former President of the African National Congress.^[7]

History

The airport was founded in 1952 as "Jan Smuts Airport," two years after his death, near the town of Kempton Park on the East Rand. It displaced the "Palmietfontein International Airport," which had handled European flights since 1945.

It was used as a test airport for the Concorde during the 1970s, to determine how the aircraft would perform while taking off and landing at high elevations.^[8] During the 1980s, many countries stopped trading with South Africa because of the United Nation sanctions imposed against South Africa in the struggle against apartheid, and many international airlines had to stop flying to the airport. These sanctions also resulted in South African Airways being refused rights to fly over most African countries, and in addition to this, the risk of flying over some African countries was emphasised by the shooting down of two passenger aircraft over Rhodesia (Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and 827),^[9] forcing them to fly around the "bulge" of Africa. This required specially-modified aircraft like the Boeing 747SP. Following the ending of apartheid, the airport's name, and that of other international airports in South Africa, were changed and these restrictions were lifted.

The airport overtook Cairo International Airport in 1996 as the busiest airport in Africa^[10] and is the fourth-busiest airport in the Africa–Middle East region after Dubai International Airport, Hamad International Airport, and Abu Dhabi International Airport. In fiscal year 2010, the airport handled 8.82 million departing passengers.^[11]

On 26 November 2006, the airport became the first in Africa to host the Airbus A380.^[12] The aircraft landed in Johannesburg on its way to Sydney via the South Pole on a test flight.

Airport information

O. R. Tambo International Airport is a hot and high airport. Situated almost 1,700 metres (5,500 feet) above mean sea level, the air is thin.^[13] This means some aircraft must reduce weight by loading less fuel than they would otherwise. The thinner air is also the reason for the longer than usual runways. On some routes such as to North America, it means flights from Johannesburg need to refuel en-route while the return flight originating from a lower altitude airport can upload enough fuel to reach Johannesburg non-stop.

O. R. Tambo International Airport is one of only three airports in the world that has non-stop flights to all six inhabited continents, the other two being Dubai International Airport and Doha International Airport.

On 10 January 2013 the airport's ICAO code was changed from FAJS to FAOR.^[14]

Runways

There are two parallel north–south runways and a disused cross runway. The western runway, 03L/21R, is over 4400 m (14,000 ft) long, making it one of the world's longest international airport runways. Fully laden aircraft require a far greater length of runway to achieve take-off velocity at this altitude. Both runways are equipped with Instrument Landing Systems (ILS). Furthermore all runways are equipped with Approach Lighting Systems. Sequenced flashers are not used at any South African runways and therefore not installed. Touchdown zone (TDZ) lighting is available, but never turned on. Runway Threshold, Edge and Centerline lights are the only lighting available. Runway 03R/21L is 3,400m (11,155 ft) long and is also equipped at both ends with ILS. The airport used to have a third runway but this was closed due to the danger it posed. It is now a taxiway.

During busy periods, outbound flights use the western runway for take-off, while inbound flights use the eastern runway for landing. Wind factors may cause numerous variations, but on most days flights will take off to the north and land from the south.

South African Airways

O. R. Tambo International Airport used to serve as grounds for the South African Airways Museum. This room full of South African Airways memorabilia was started by two fans of the airline as a temporary location until they could set it up in one of Jan Smuts International's buildings in 1987. The museum has since relocated to Rand Airport (FAGM).

Developments

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) reported that major new developments took place at the airport, in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The development includes expansion of the international terminal, with the new international pier (opened in 2009), which includes gates for the Airbus A380 and increased capacity at the same time. A new Central Terminal building, designed by Osmond Lange Architects and Planners, was completed on April 1, 2009. An additional multi-storey parkade was built in January 2010, at a cost of R470 million opposite the Central Terminal Building, plus Terminal A was also upgraded and the associated roadways realigned to accommodate more International Departures space.

The Central Terminal Building (CTB) (cost: R2 billion) boosted passenger capacity at the landside of the terminal in 3 levels, and allows direct access from international and domestic terminals. Additional luggage carousels were added on March 12, 2010 to accommodate the Airbus A380. Arrivals are accommodated on Level 1, with departures expanded on Level 3; Level 2 accommodates further retail and commercial activities. The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link station is above the terminal.

The new International Pier (cost: R535 million) has increased international arrivals and departures capacity in a two-storey structure with nine additional airside contact stands, four of which are Airbus A380 compatible. Air bridges are already in place and the existing duty-free mall will be extended into this area. Additional lounges and passenger-holding areas will be constructed on the upper level.

A second terminal between the two runways has been cancelled. It would have contained its own domestic and international check-in facilities, contact stands, shops and lounges and was projected to cost R8 billion.

In November 2009, Air France announced the scheduled flights of their Airbus A380 into the airport.^[15][16] These flights commenced on February 17, 2010, initially 3 times weekly, now five times weekly. Lufthansa started twice-weekly A380 flights into Johannesburg on 12 September 2010^[17] but changed their service to a daily Boeing 747-8i in October 2015.^[18] Emirates Airlines started a daily A380 service to Johannesburg in October 2011, replacing one of their 3 daily 777-300ER flights, which was cancelled on March 24, 2012. British Airways started A380 services into the airport on February 27, 2014 and, as of January 2015, operates the aircraft daily alongside a daily 747 service. As of Northern winter 2017/18 British Airways will increase their A380 service from the previously filed 7 weekly to 14 weekly. As of February 2017, Emirates has upgraded one of its 4 daily flights to A380. As of November 2016, Etihad Airways operates B787-9 daily from its Abu Dhabi hub.

Terminals

There are six terminals at the airport, but these can be broken down into three major areas: the international terminals; the domestic terminals; and the transit terminals. The transit terminal housed disused parts of the old domestic terminals. It has been mostly demolished to build a new Central Terminal that will provide an indoor link between domestic and international terminals, as well as a central passenger check-in area and more gates. It was constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Terminals A1 and A2 handle international passengers while the other two terminals handle domestic passengers. Due to the airport's design, departure and arrivals terminals are considered separate terminals. The Central Terminal that is under construction will be named Terminal A3 and it will be used for both international and domestic passengers. The airline Mango has its head office on the mezzanine level of the Domestic Departure Terminal.^[19]

The two terminals, Terminal A and Terminal B, have been restructured. Several airlines now use Terminal B for all check-ins (top floor, adjacent to the arrivals atrium), for both national and international flights. The airlines that moved check-in to Terminal B include SAA, SA Airlink, SA Express, Air Mauritius, and Qantas.^[20]

Terminals A and B boast over 140 retail stores. The Duty Free stores are based airside in Terminal A and many of them stock products exclusively available at the airport.

There is also a 24-hour travel clinic, with medical staff available 24 hours a day. The airport's police station also operates around the clock.

The ample parking available at O. R. Tambo International Airport has recently been revamped and the introduction of state-of-the-art technology now allows visitors to identify available parking spaces easily.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Air Austral	Saint–Denis de la Réunion
Air Botswana	Francistown, Gaborone, Kasane, Maun
Air China	Beijing–Capital
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Airlink	Antananarivo, Beira, Bloemfontein, Bulawayo, Gaborone, Harare, Kasane, Lusaka, Maseru, Maun, Nampula, Ndola, Nelspruit, Nosy Be, Pemba, Phalaborwa, Pietermaritzburg, Polokwane, Saint Helena (begins 21 October 2017),[21] Sishen, Skukuza, Tete, Umtata, Upington, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako (begins 21 October 2017),[21] Vilanculos
Air Mauritius	Mauritius
Air Namibia	Walvis Bay, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako
Air Seychelles	Mahé
Air Zimbabwe	Bulawayo, Harare, Victoria Falls
ASKY Airlines	Lomé[22]
British Airways	Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Livingstone, London–Heathrow, Mauritius, Port Elizabeth, Victoria Falls, Windhoek–Hosea Kutako
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong
CemAir	Hoedspruit,[23] Lephalale, Margate, Plettenberg Bay, Sishen
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta
EgyptAir	Cairo
El Al	Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion
Emirates	Dubai–International
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi
Fastjet	Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar
Fastjet operated by Fastjet Zimbabwe	Harare[24]
FlySafair	Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Port Elizabeth
Iberia	Madrid
Interair South Africa	Dar es Salaam, Ndola
Kenya Airways	Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
KLM	Amsterdam
Kulula.com	Cape Town, Durban, George, East London
LAM Mozambique Airlines	Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Pemba, Quelimane, Tete, Vilanculos
LATAM Brasil	São Paulo–Guarulhos
Lufthansa	Frankfurt
Malawian Airlines	Blantyre, Lilongwe
Maluti Sky operated by MGC Aviation	Maseru
Mango	Cape Town, Durban, George, Port Elizabeth, Zanzibar
Qantas	Sydney
Qatar Airways	Doha1
RwandAir	Kigali, Lusaka
Saudia	Jeddah
SriLankan Airlines	Cape Town, Colombo, Dili, Manila, Nairobi, New York City, Surabaya, Toronto (all begins future date)
Swaziland Airlink operated by Airlink	Manzini
Singapore Airlines	Singapore2
South African Airways	Abidjan, Accra, Blantyre, Brazzaville, Cape Town, Cotonou, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Durban, East London, Entebbe, Frankfurt, Harare, Hong Kong, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Livingstone, London–Heathrow, Luanda, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Munich, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Ndola, New York–JFK, Perth, Pointe Noire, Port Elizabeth, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Victoria Falls, Walvis Bay, Washington–Dulles, Windhoek–Hosea Kutako
South African Express	Bloemfontein, East London, Gaborone, George, Hoedspruit, Kimberley, Lubumbashi, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Sun City
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich
TAAG Angola Airlines	Luanda
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul–Atatürk1
Virgin Atlantic	London–Heathrow

Notes

• ^1 : This flight continues to Durban. However, this carrier does not have rights to transport passengers solely between Johannesburg and Durban.
• ^2 : This flight continues to Cape Town. However, this carrier does not have rights to transport passengers solely between Johannesburg and Cape Town.
• ^3 : This flight continues to Maputo. However, this carrier does not have rights to transport passengers solely between Johannesburg and Maputo.

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
BidAir Cargo	Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Durban, East London, George, Harare, Kigali, Livingstone, Mauritius, Maputo, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Port Elizabeth, Victoria Falls, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako
Cargolux	London–Stansted, Luxembourg, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Chapman Freeborn	Entebbe
Emirates SkyCargo	Dubai–Al Maktoum, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo	Addis Ababa
Etihad Cargo	Abu Dhabi, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Imperial Air Cargo	Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt, Lagos, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Martinair	Amsterdam
Qatar Airways Cargo	Doha, Liège, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Oslo–Gardermoen
Saudia Cargo	Amsterdam, Jeddah, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Silverback Cargo Freighters	Kigali
Singapore Airlines Cargo	Amsterdam, Chennai, Mumbai, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Singapore
South African Cargo	Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban, Harare, Maputo, Port Elizabeth, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako[25]
Turkish Airlines Cargo	Istanbul–Atatürk, Khartoum, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Uganda Air Cargo	Entebbe
Wimbi Dira Airways	Kinshasa

Traffic and statistics

O. R. Tambo International Airport recorded 18.6 million passengers in 2010–2011, up from 17.6 million passengers the year before. Of those passengers, 8 million were international and 9.7 million domestic, with the remainder being classified as "regional" or "unscheduled". 212,918 aircraft traffic movements were recorded; the majority being domestic services. O. R. Tambo International Airport is the busiest airport in South Africa.

Passenger traffic

Annual passenger traffic for O. R. Tambo International Airport^[26]

Year	International		Regional		Domestic		Unscheduled		Total
	Passenger movements	% Change	Passenger movements	% Change	Passenger movements	% Change	Passenger movements	% Change	Passenger movements	% Change
2006–07	6,958,277	no data	651,642	no data	10,094,758	no data	89,423	no data	17,794,100	no data
2007–08	7,645,647	9.9%	714,717	9.7%	11,009,841	9.1%	87,293	2.4%	19,457,498	9.3%
2008–09	7,480,461	2.2%	730,387	2.2%	9,582,332	13.0%	91,679	5.0%	17,884,859	8.1%
2009–10	7,489,211	0.1%	762,033	4.3%	9,270,478	3.3%	74,481	18.8%	17,596,203	1.6%
2010–11	7,965,594	6.4%	794,477	4.3%	9,732,250	5.0%	150,824	102.5%	18,643,145	5.9%
2011–12	8,088,013	1.5%	846,067	6.5%	9,985,246	2.6%	84,216	44.2%	19,003,542	1.9%
2012–13	8,276,845	2.3%	826,676	2.3%	9,437,069	5.5%	80,669	4.2%	18,621,259	2.0%
2013-14	8,570,384	3.6%	894,670	8.2%	9,257,225	1.9%	98,709	22.3%	18,820,988	1.0%
2014-15	8 614 192	0.5%	914 644	2.2%	9 510 809	2.7%	95 448	3.4	19 135 093	1.7%
2015-16	8 791 210	2.1%	905 729	1.0%	10 586 823	11.3%	91 236	4.6%	20 374 998	6.5%

Aircraft movements

Annual aircraft movements for O. R. Tambo International Airport^[27][28]

Year	International		Regional		Domestic		Unscheduled		Total
	Aircraft movements	% Change	Aircraft movements	% Change	Aircraft movements	% Change	Aircraft movements	% Change	Aircraft movements	% Change
2006–07	53,003	no data	17,684	no data	114,917	no data	26,037	no data	211,641	no data
2007–08	59,031	11.4%	18,799	6.3%	121,621	5.8%	29,591	13.6%	229,042	8.2%
2008–09	57,559	2.5%	17,965	4.4%	109,372	10.1%	28,297	4.4%	213,193	6.9%
2009–10	59,382	3.2%	19,732	9.8%	103,166	5.7%	20,252	28.4%	202,532	5.0%
2010–11	63,414	6.8%	19,846	0.6%	105,627	2.4%	24,031	18.7%	212,918	5.1%
2011–12	63,233	0.3%	20,769	4.6%	107,053	1.3%	21,515	10.4%	212,570	0.1%

Other buildings

South African Airways is headquartered in Airways Park on the grounds of O. R. Tambo International Airport.^[3][29][30] The building was developed by Stauch Vorster Architects.^[31] Airways Park was completed in March 1997 for 70,000,000 Rand.^[32] The fourth floor of the West Wing of the Pier Development of O. R. Tambo has the head office of SA Express.^[33][34][35]

Renaming

In late 2005, a name change was proposed for the airport to "O. R. Tambo International", after former ANC President and anti-apartheid activist Oliver Reginald Tambo, an apparent change to the precedent of neutrally-named airports. The name change was formally announced in the Government Gazette of South Africa on 30 June 2006, allowing a 30-day window for the public to register objections. The name change was implemented on 27 October 2006 with the unveiling of new signs at the airport.

Critics noted the considerable expense involved in renaming the airport, and the decision to use a politician as the name would be obscure, confusing and in some instances, offensive. Corne Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus has stamped the renaming "nothing less than political opportunism and attempts by the ANC government to dodge the true socio-economic issues of the country".^[36]

Unnecessary confusion can be caused, for O. R. Tambo is also a district municipality in the Eastern Cape, seated in Mthatha. The town of Mthatha has an international airport known as Mthatha Airport, formerly named the K. D. Matanzima Airport after former Transkei President Kaiser Matanzima.

Ground transport

Rail transit

A transit terminal has been built between the domestic and international terminals. It houses the Gautrain station linking the airport to Sandton, a major business district and a primary tourist area, and, from there, the rest of the Gautrain system.

In September 2006 Gauteng Province contracted Bombardier Transportation for a rail link connecting Johannesburg, Pretoria, and the airport, with construction to begin immediately.^[37] The section linking the airport to Sandton in Johannesburg was completed on 8 June 2010 in time for the World Cup. Trains run 90 trips per day and carry an estimated 8000 passengers daily.^[38]

Car

The airport is easily accessible by car and it is located in northeast Johannesburg on the R24 Airport Freeway, which can be accessed by the R24 (South Africa) and the R21 highway. The R24 intersects with the R21 near the airport and with the O. R. Tambo Airport Highway. This highway goes through the airport terminals, separating them from the parking bays, but it branches off into two directions: "departures" and "arrivals", and then it rebranches into the intersection.

Bus

Five bus city lines, operated by Metrobus and Putco, pass through the airport twice a day. The buses are accessible in the morning and the evening, when there are many passengers departing and arriving. There are also private bus lines operating express buses to the CBD of Johannesburg, as well as other locations.

Accidents and incidents

• 20 October 1957 – A Vickers Viscount G-AOYF, operated by Vickers was damaged beyond economic repair when the starboard undercarriage collapsed following a heavy landing.^[39]
• 1 March 1988 – An Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, ZS-LGP, exploded in mid air whilst on final approach for landing. All seventeen occupants were killed. A passenger was suspected of detonating an explosive device but to this day it has never been proven beyond all doubt.^[40]
• 22 April 1999 – A Boeing 727-23 was damaged beyond repair by large hailstones while on approach for landing at FAJS. Aircraft landed safely with no loss of life.^[41]
• 3 November 2001 – A Reims-Cessna F406 crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 03R, killing all 3 occupants. The aircraft did not have a valid certificate of airworthiness at the time of the incident.^[42]
• 9 April 2004 – An Emirates Airbus A340-300 operating a flight from Johannesburg to Dubai sustained serious damage during takeoff when it failed to become airborne before the end of the runway, striking 25 approach lights, causing four tyres to burst which in turn threw debris into various parts of the aircraft, ultimately damaging the flap drive mechanism. This rendered the flaps immoveable in the takeoff position. The aircraft returned for an emergency landing during which the normal braking system failed as a result of the damage. The aircraft was brought to a stop only 250 metres from the end of the 3,400-metre runway using reverse thrust and the alternate braking system.^[43] In their report, South African investigators found that the captain had used an erroneous take-off technique, and criticised Emirates training and rostering practices.^[44]
• 25 March 2006 – A gunman held up guards at the airport gates. Others armed with AK-47 assault rifles held up guards and police at a South African Airways aircraft and helped themselves to bags of pound sterling banknotes flown in from Britain. Several airport security staff were implicated in the heist.^[45]
• 22 December 2013 – A British Airways Boeing 747-400 operating flight 34 collided with a building at the airport. Four ground-handling staff in the building sustained minor injuries. As of February 2014, the aircraft was put out of service.^[46]
• 26 October 2015 – A Comair (South Africa) Boeing 737-400 operating a flight from Port Elizabeth suffered a landing gear failure while landing at the airport. There were no injuries. There were no reports on what happened to the aircraft.^[47]
• 7 March 2017 – A heist, remarkably similar to the heist in 2006, was carried out by a gang of up to 13 robbers who stole a huge sum of used foreign currency notes collected from South Africa's banks and foreign exchange services. The money was to be transported to London by South African Airways.^[48][49]

See also

• List of airports in South Africa
• List of South African airports by passenger movements

References

External links

• Media related to OR Tambo International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
• O.R. Tambo International Airport travel guide from Wikivoyage