Cape Town International Airport says a lack of immigration resources is the biggest threat to a successful peak season, with a 35% reduction in staff resulting in passengers queuing for double the international standard waiting time.

With an estimated 35 000 passengers per day making their way through the airport during the peak season, resourcing issues, including immigration and jet fuel supply are top of mind for airport management.

Briefing the Western Cape Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism on its peak season readiness, Mark Maclean, Regional General Manager for Cape Town International Airport, said immigration resources were arguably the biggest current concern at the airport.

Cape Town International Airport has seen 35% fewer immigration staff deployed compared with 2019, while processing 26% more passengers.

Maclean said 66 staff members were available in 2023, compared with 82 permanent and 30 temporary staff in 2019, which was resulting in extended waiting periods and flight delays.

At 20 minutes, the airport’s immigration waiting times are double the international standard of 10 minutes, with waiting times of up to 45 minutes recorded. Maclean said passenger complaints were being received regularly.

“Our brand reputation will suffer if we don’t address this decisively. We are not relenting; it’s an ongoing conversation and we must fix this.”

He said the airport had formally requested additional resources from the Border Management Authority, and Western Cape Minister for Finance and Economic Opportunities Mireille Wenger had done the same.

“We are dealing with this at a local and a national level, however, unfortunately, until today, we have not received any confirmation of additional resourcing,” he said.

In the meantime, he said, they were attempting to manage the situation with increased overtime to overlap some shifts, and a learnership programme to supplement resources.

Jet fuel resources

Cape Town International has experienced a number of jet fuel shortages over the past year. The most recent in March, was as a result of its biggest supplier being impacted by loadshedding.

Maclean said daily jet fuel use rose from about 1.4 million litres in off-peak periods to two million litres in the peak season, and contingency plans had been put in place to ensure a continuous supply.

These included the commissioning of a new tank, which can hold three million litres of fuel, which is in full operation.

“During the peak season, we will hold between five and six days (of stock), but the airport contingency plan is that we should never go below three in the event that there are any issues,” with penalties imposed if the minimum levels are breached.

Maclean said the refinery was in full production, and jet fuel delivery to the airport was a 24-hour operation with about 60 tankers per day delivering. The airport has been working closely with airlines to forecast fuel needs, as stock is ordered three to four months in advance.

A new fuel supplier has also been secured in Cape Town Harbour, with the ability to store imported fuel.

“With all of those things in mind, we don’t expect any issues this peak season,” he said.