​Thembisa Shologu
The Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) has welcomed the announcement by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) that measures to return Africa's busiest airport to pre-pandemic levels in terms of passenger numbers, operational efficiency, and excellence are in full swing.
Following a two-year disruption caused by COVID-19, GTA said it was pleased that operations at the O.R. Tambo International Airport will fully operate with customer-centric security, cleanliness, and ease of movement as a top priority.
The GTA is a coordinating agency for the Gauteng Air Access Network (GAAN), a multi-disciplinary team of agencies working together to improve the province's airlift capacity.
Gauteng Air Access Network continues to work tirelessly to reinstate the lost routes due to Covid restrictions, attract and retain new air routes, and build a solid pipeline of potential routes covering cargo, passengers and special permits for film crews and charter market flights.
"We are excited and encouraged by this great news and development, which comes against the backdrop of equally good international and domestic arrival figures covering the end of the year and the festive summer period. 
"Full and exceptional operation of OR Tambo International Airport, the country's flagship and national key point, is central to our economic recovery and jobs agenda in Gauteng and South Africa at large", said GTA Chief Executive Officer Sthembiso Dlamini.
On Wednesday, 29 March 2023, Gauteng will further welcome Air China from Beijing-Shenzhen to Johannesburg, marking a significant milestone as the first flight group tours out of China since the pandemic started in 2020. 
This will power the country's trade, tourism, and investment prospects from one of our key source markets and fellow BRICS members. 
"We are very much excited by these latest developments as the GTA because this is in line with the city region's tourism growth, trade development and investment facilitation strategy and plan championed by Premier Panyaza Lesufi. 
"Despite the unfortunate loss of Comair last year, over 77% of flights that used OR Tambo International Airport pre-COVID-19 pandemic times are now back and oiling our growth plans," Dlamini said.
Forty-six airlines are now flying through O.R. Tambo Airport, comprising five domestic airlines, 38 international airlines and three regional airlines, announced ACSA's Regional Manager Cluster 1 Jabu Khambule. 
Khambule said one of the challenges ACSA identified last December was the parking system which needed a system upgrade. 
In a phased approach, the ageing system has been replaced to ensure the parking process remains reliable and efficient for passengers. 
 New airlines include Air Belgium, Air Cote d'Ivoire, Chilean Latam Airline, Air Algierie, and Eswatini Air. SAA added two new routes to Windhoek and Victoria Falls, and FlySafair will resume flights to Zanzibar in April.
Photo cred:Johannesburg airport