Celebrating OR Tambo International Airport’s 70th birthday this month (October) Acsa highlighted that it served as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to and from South Africa, handling more than 21 million passenger movements annually.
The airport was founded in 1952, in Kempton Park, Gauteng, and was initially named Jan Smuts International Airport. It was rebranded as Johannesburg International Airport in 1994, following the dawn of democracy in South Africa. It was again renamed in 2006, after ANC stalwart Oliver Reginald Tambo – an anti-apartheid politician and former ANC President.
Interestingly, due to the airport’s situation at an altitude of 1 700m above sea level, its two runways are longer than those at many airports around the world. The air is more rarefied at this altitude, providing less air friction to assist deceleration on approach and landing and less lift on take-off.
“OR Tambo International Airport services airlines from five continents and plays a vital role in serving the local, regional, intra- and intercontinental air transport needs of South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa,” said Acsa spokesperson, Gopolang Peme.
She added that OR Tambo currently contributed R2.7 billion (€158m) to the country’s gross domestic product, employed about 6 200 people and had an income contribution of R849bn (€49.6bn) a year.
“The airport plays a leading role not only within the South African economic context, but also as a gateway to the African continent. Its key role as a mega hub that connects airline destinations – from trade to leisure – makes it one of our country’s most strategic and valuable assets,” noted Peme.
