{"id":404469,"date":"2020-06-03T12:23:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T10:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=404469"},"modified":"2020-06-03T12:23:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T10:23:00","slug":"heres-the-new-normal-for-flying-in-south-africa-as-airports-reopen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/404469\/heres-the-new-normal-for-flying-in-south-africa-as-airports-reopen\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s the new normal for flying in South Africa as airports reopen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has outlined how domestic air travel will work under South Africa&#8217;s coronavirus lockdown.<\/p>\n<p>Limited domestic air travel for business purposes is allowed under level 3, subject to restrictions on the number of flights per day and authorisation based on the reason for travel.<\/p>\n<p>The resumption of domestic flights will be rolled out in three phases, the minister said, with additional airports added in each phase as follows:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Phase 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>OR Tambo International Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Cape Town International Airport;<\/li>\n<li>King Shaka International Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Lanseria International Airport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Phase 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Polokwane International Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Bram Fischer Airport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Phase 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kimberley Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Upington Airport;<\/li>\n<li>East London Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Umtata Airport;<\/li>\n<li>Port Elizabeth Airport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Airports\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The limited domestic air travel means that flights will only be allowed to depart and land at selected airports in a phased manner, the minister said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that only passengers will be allowed inside the terminal buildings and that temperature screening will be conducted at terminal building entrances before any passenger is allowed entry.<\/p>\n<p>No passengers will be allowed inside the terminal buildings without masks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All the airports will have markings on the floor for social distancing of 1.5 metres. This will be applicable at check-in counters, security checkpoints and airport lounges.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All airline check-in agents will wear face shields and the counters will be installed with protective screens. Check-in counters will also be frequently sanitised,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mbalula said that passengers are encouraged to use self-check-in to avoid queues at the airport and that\u00a0boarding will be staggered and prioritized in terms of the number of passengers to board.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Forgot your PPE ?<\/p>\n<p>We have a vending machine here at the Airport. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LockdownSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LockdownSA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J5z63gveYu\">pic.twitter.com\/J5z63gveYu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Minister of Transport |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MbalulaFikile\/status\/1268061752757010438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 3, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The check-in process is as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Passengers should check-in online before going to the airport;<\/li>\n<li>Online check-in can be done at the screens in the terminal building;<\/li>\n<li>A limited number of check-in counters will be open and physical distancing rules will apply in these queues;<\/li>\n<li>Using a check-in counter will take longer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The security checkpoint process is as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Passengers will scan their own paper-based or mobile device-based boarding pass to the scanner at the security checkpoint.<\/li>\n<li>Passengers should remove any metal and electronic items from their person before entering the security queue. This includes mobile devices, watches, jewellery, wallets, keys and so on<\/li>\n<li>These items must be placed in the tray at the security scanner.<\/li>\n<li>This process will minimise the need for security officers to conduct physical pat-downs at the checkpoint.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The boarding process is as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Physical distancing rules apply for queues to board an aircraft;<\/li>\n<li>Passengers must scan their own boarding pass at the boarding gate;<\/li>\n<li>Boarding will be done in a controlled manner with passengers travelling in the rear seats of the aircraft boarding first. Passengers with tickets for Row A, for example, will board last;<\/li>\n<li>Masks must be worn for the duration of the flight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Flying\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mbalula said that inside the cabin, full capacity will be allowed.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the risk of Covid-19 infection onboard a commercial passenger airliner is lower than in many other confined spaces.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All our commercial aircraft are fitted with the High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. These are manufactured to the same standard as those used in hospital operating theatres and industrial clean rooms, with the same efficacy of 99.97% in removing viruses,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While the total air supply inside the cabin is essentially sterile and particle-free, the biggest risk is if someone enters or remains in that environment, while unwell with a viral infection. This risk will be mitigated through the adoption of effective sanitization and personal hygiene protocols.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He said that the\u00a0following measures will apply inside the cabin of the aircraft:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No catering will be allowed:<\/li>\n<li>No magazines on board;<\/li>\n<li>The last row will be reserved for isolation of suspected cases.<\/li>\n<li>All aircrafts must be disinfected before entering into service and after each flight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The disembarkation process will be as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Masks must continue to be used when disembarking and moving towards the baggage carousels;<\/li>\n<li>Physical distancing rules will apply at the baggage carousels;<\/li>\n<li>Crowding close to the baggage carousels will not be permitted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;Loading capacity for all airport buses must be limited to 70%. These buses must be disinfected after off-loading. Drivers, baggage handlers and ground handlers must be fully equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE),&#8221; Mbalula said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;On arrival, all passengers must be screened as they enter the terminal building. Suspected cases must be referred to Port Health.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Read:<a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/motoring\/404277\/south-africas-new-driving-demerit-system-has-been-delayed-what-you-need-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> South Africa\u2019s new driving demerit system has been delayed \u2013 what you need to know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula has outlined how domestic air travel will work under South Africa&#8217;s coronavirus lockdown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":404495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-404469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404469"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":404503,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404469\/revisions\/404503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}