26 November 2013, Johannesburg – O.R. Tambo International Airport will today embark on an exercise to evaluate the airport’s readiness to deal with an evacuation in the case of an emergency.

This mandatory exercise follows months of planning and consultation with several of the airport’s stakeholders, including airlines, retail partners and the Ekurhuleni Emergency Planning Department.

The purpose of the evacuation drill is to evaluate O.R. Tambo International Airport’s readiness in the event of an emergency. This exercise will also ensure that employees are aware of how to respond to emergencies in the airport environment, better understand their roles and responsibilities, along with specific emergency evacuation procedures, thus ensuring an effective and comprehensive approach to an emergency evacuation.

“O.R. Tambo International Airport is the busiest airport in Africa, and planning for the safety of our airport users and employees in the case of an emergency is crucial to the company’s operations”, said O.R. Tambo International’s Assistant General Manager, Kris Reddy.

Reddy also added that, “as an airport, we are fortunate to be in partnership with stakeholders who understand the importance of such exercises and as a result, have been supportive throughout the planning process.”

O.R. Tambo International airport has more than 25 000 people working at the airport and

For more information, please contact:

Unathi Batyashe-Fillis

Manager: Communication and Brand Management
OR Tambo International Airport
Direct: +27 (0) 11 921 6087
Cell: +27 (0) 79 882 7307
Email: unathi.Batyashe-Fillis@airports.co.za