The airport’s peak season is in full swing as visitors’ stream into the City.
All indications are that passenger numbers for the month of December are set to
soar. To date, both the months of October and November have seen a rise in
Domestic as well as International travel. During the month of November Domestic arrivals grew by 4% to nearly 300 000
compared to the same period last year while International arrivals grew by 3%
compared to the same period. Passenger numbers for the month of October showed a
similar trend with Domestic arrivals growing by 7% and International arrivals
growing by 10% when compared to last year. The airport processed close to 400 000 arriving passengers for the month of
November marking a 4% increase compared to the same period last year. If we consider that both October and November has shown positive growth it is
highly likely that the trend will continue during the month of December with
March typically being the busiest month of the season”, says Deidre Davids,
Manager: Communications and Brand at Cape Town International Airport. “Both
October and November have been the busiest months to date. For the month of
November we processed just over 771 000 passengers and nearly 780 000 passengers
in October in total”, added Davids. With business travel grinding to a halt, it is clear that most travellers
passing through the airport are leisure travellers, whether they are arriving
and departing. The seasonal carries continue to play a critical role in
connecting the Mother City directly to various International destinations.
Airlines like Lufthansa and Condor connects Cape Town directly to Germany via
Munich and Frankfurt respectively while Edelweiss connects the City directly to
Switzerland. “This ease of connectivity remains key in order to ensure that Cape
Town remains a competitive destination. The easier it is for visitors to travel
to our City, the more likely they are to come. This is why the role that the
entire tourism and hospitality value chain has to play is so important – in
order to make sure that Cape Town remains competitive we must continue to be a
value destination”, remarked Davids. Davids has the following tips, if you’re travelling in the next number of
weeks: • Arrive on time: There is nothing worse than
rushing through the airport worried that you might miss your flight. With the
airport being as busy as it is, make sure that you give yourself sufficient time
to go through all of the processes. Allow for an hour and half for Domestic
travel and two and a half hours for International travel. • Keep your documentation on hand: have all of your
travel documentation ready at the various screening points such as your
passport, boarding pass, medical certificates and so forth. • Unattended bags: Do not leave your baggage
unattended as this poses a security risk and can result in a terminal evacuation
– major inconvenience to passengers. • Medical emergencies: Contact 021 937 1211 in the
event of a medical emergency. There are 14 automatic defibrillators located
throughout the terminal for use by qualified individuals. • Use of Porters: Use approved porters only. They
can be identified by the black and orange uniform. • Security alert: Please report any suspicious
behavior to the Police or to any airport official. Security is everyone’s
responsibility. For more information please contact: Deidre Davids Communications
Manager Telephone Number: +27 (0) 82 377 4521 Email: Deidre.Davids@airports.co.za
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