Airports in SA are notably punctual

THREE of South Africa’s airports have been named among the 10 most punctual in the world. OR Tambo International Airport came eighth in the large airport category, Cape Town International Airport was ranked sixth in the medium airport category, while King Shaka International Airport came in 10th place in the small airport category.

This is according to OAG Aviation Worldwide, a UK-based agency that runs the annual Punctuality League, which monitors on-time performance (OTP) among airlines and airports globally. OAG Worldwide tracks a minimum of 80% of the flights that operate at an airport for it to be included in the Punctuality League.

Airports Company South Africa’s (Acsa) group executive for airport management, André Vermeulen, said: “We are very proud to be recognised in the very prestigious Punctuality League.

“Ensuring that our passengers arrive and depart on time is a collaborative effort with all role players in the airport community.”

Acsa said a significant contributor to achieving on-time performance on the ground is its world-class, state-of-the-art Airport Management Centre (AMC), which is the nerve centre of airport operations. The AMC facilitates seamless co-ordination between airlines, baggage handlers, security staff, customer service staff, aircraft engineers and marshals.

The Punctuality League said the top 20 airports in the large airport category ensured that 83.9% of arriving and departing flights operated under 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival and departure times last year. Indonesian airport Surabaya is ranked first among the top 20 airports in this category.

The average OTP among the top 20 medium airports was 85.4%. In the top spot was Birmingham, with an OTP of 91.28%. Among the top 20 small airports, 86.6% of arriving and departing flights were operated under 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival and departure times.

Leading the rankings is Newcastle in the UK, which also managed to achieve an OTP above 90%.