Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has – together with other aviation authorities – implemented air travel restrictions as detailed by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, in the International Air Services (Covid19 Restrictions on The Movement Of Air Travel) Regulations, 2020.

The regulations, published today (March 20), ban passenger air travel from countries deemed high risk as per the President’s National Disaster declaration on Sunday (March 15).

Countries affected are: South Korea, Italy, Spain, Iran, Germany, and United State of America, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France and China.

 An Acsa spokesperson said the following measures were being implemented:  

• Should an airline from a high-risk country land in South Africa Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS), together with Acsa, will redirect the affected aircraft to a remote parking apron and the relevant authorities will be notified.

• Foreign nationals from high risk countries will not be allowed to disembark the aircraft.

• Inbound crew will be screened and quarantined.

• South African citizens returning from high-risk countries will be clinically assessed and immediately quarantined.  

The following Acsa airports will manage scheduled flights from high risk countries – OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport and King Shaka International Airport.

 Charter operators will be re-routed to international airports:

• OR Tambo International Airport  

• King Shaka International Airport

• Upington International Airport

• Bram Fischer International Airport

• Port Elizabeth International Airport

• Cape Town International Airport

Since the travel ban announcements, some airlines have already started cancelling their scheduled flights and have notified the affected passengers accordingly.

The travel trade is encouraged to contact the airlines for details related to specific flights.