lANSerIA INterNAtIONAl AIrPOrt

fEATuRE

Flying high!
Lanseria International Airport continues to expand. Next up, a new 45m wide and 3km long runway. By Ian Armitage

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Lanseria International Airport focus trAvel

verall tourist arrivals to South Africa grew by 10.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk praised strong growth across all regions January, February and March saw a total of 2,267,807 tourist arrivals to South Africa, 216,031 more than in the corresponding period in last year. Emerging markets continued their robust, positive growth of 2011, while traditional markets recovered the lost ground of the period 2008-11 and bounced back to reach positive growth in the early part of the year. Tourist arrivals from Europe grew by 11.9 percent. It was fantastic news for airports like Lanseria International Airport, located near Johannesburg. But it wasnt exactly new news - it has known for some time things have been going well, with passenger numbers increasing annually in the lead up to, and following, the 2010 World Cup. The billions of rand invested in its drastic facelift stand testiment to that. Whats clear is that Lanseria is an airport on the up and up thanks to that facelift and the corresponding expansion.

Gavin Sayce, Lanserias manager, says the expansion underlines the significance of the airport in the South African domestic and regional air traffic arena. Lanseria is in close proximity to the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, to Pretoria and to the West Rand. The ease of use makes it the preferred airport for many. Another benefit to using the airport, Sayce says, is the fact that infrastructure around it, particularly the roads, have been upgraded. It is an attractive option; a fantastic alternative to OR Tambo. We are privately owned and have experienced significant growth over the past five years. This year will see the implementation of a series of development projects,

including the construction of a new runway at a cost of R160 million to improve the airports capacity. It is a 12-month project. Sayce says the new runway will be 45m wide and 3km long runway. It will enhance airport operations and increase efficiencies. It is all down to the increase in passengers. More people requires greater capacity and greater efficiency. We want them to enjoy the ultimate travel experience. At one time Comair held exclusive rights to fly from Lanseria. Six years ago, domestic airline Kulula started at the airport with a daily return flight to Cape Town, which was extended to include Durban. In July 2011, Mango also introduced a scheduled service to serve Cape Town.
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Lanseria International Airport focus trAvel

We had 1time here for a while but they elected to withdraw from the market. Theyve indicated that theyre going to come back. It continues to grow. We have grown significantly, hugely, in terms of the domestic market, says Sayce, who says the regional market is next. That will obviously involve yet more investment. And Lanseria is obliging several expansion projects are underway. In addition to the new runway were also expanding the airports domestic departure lounge with a new 200m pier to accommodate increasing passenger numbers. We have had an exponential increase in passenger numbers and airline schedules during the last few years. Today, the airport hosts close to 1.8 million passengers a year. That requires improvement and investment. The airport, which started off with one passenger lounge, now features five lounges and departure gates. The construction of a multi-storey parkade, close to the main terminal building, is on the cards. Lanserias car park has been extended on a number of occasions to cater for the growing demand. It is never ending. We also recently completed the commissioning of a common use self-service kiosk check-in system to speed up the check-in process. That is something we are very proud of. Manual check-ins were becoming time consuming and the new automated systems make the whole check-in process a lot more user friendly and convenient. END To learn more visit www.lanseria.co.za.
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Serving our customers and ensuring efficiencies in safe skies

The Air Traffic and Navigation Services Company of South Africa (ATNS) was incorporated in terms of the ATNS Act, Act 45 of 1993, and is mandated by the State to provide safe, expeditious and efficient air traffic management solutions and associated services within the South African airspace in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices and the South African Civil Aviation (SACAA) Regulations and Technical Standards. Standing proud with over 950 dedicated and professional employees, ATNS safely manages more than half a million aircraft arrival and departure movements per year. ATNS operates at 22 aerodromes across South Africa and is responsible for 10% of the worlds airspace. The ATNS service offering extends further than air traffic control services into the provision of vitally important aeronautical information used for all flight planning purposes as well as search and rescue coordination activities and the maintenance of a reliable navigation infrastructure. ATNS Central Airspace Management Unit (CAMU) is responsible for the management of the flexible use of airspace and also provides support for special air events and special requirements such as test flights and demonstration flights. The Aviation Training Academy actively trains licensed air traffic controllers and technical staff for both ATNS and international delegates.

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