{"id":828788,"date":"2025-06-20T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=828788"},"modified":"2025-06-20T12:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T10:19:09","slug":"major-upgrades-coming-to-airports-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/828788\/major-upgrades-coming-to-airports-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Airports in South Africa getting upgrades to make them cleaner, safer and more comfortable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is undergoing a massive infrastructure maintenance and capital expansion programme across its airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACSA is the owner of nine of South Africa’s largest airports, which include the OR Tambo, Cape Town and\u00a0King Shaka International\u00a0Airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The maintenance programme has prioritised high-impact infrastructure, such as sewerage systems, ablution facilities, and fire escapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will also be enhanced safety and hygiene protocols in high-traffic and sensitive areas to improve security and user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg is undergoing a massive refurbishment of ablution facilities, which includes male, female, baby-change and accessible amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project, which started in December 2024, should be completed by December 2025, and hopes to improve passenger comfort and hygiene standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACSA Chief Executive Officer, Mpumi Mpofu, said the current projects are scheduled for completion between late 2025 and 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that ACSA invests in infrastructure supporting the aviation sector’s long-term growth and operational resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis programme is a strong signal of ACSA\u2019s recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d said Mpofu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt reflects our return to financial sustainability and our ability to reinvest in critical infrastructure that will serve the aviation industry and the broader economy for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big upgrades <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

On top of its maintenance activities, ACSA is also undertaking several infrastructure upgrades across key operational areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are designed to modernise infrastructure, improve operational resilience and accommodate future growth. Highlights of this growth include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Jet Fuel Infrastructure at OR Tambo International Airport<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • The installation of a new 20-inch jet fuel feeder line and the implementation of Jet Fuel Redundancy Phase 1 will boost reliability and supply continuity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The replacement of backup power generators at the airport is necessary to ensure uninterrupted critical operations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Passenger Loading Bridges (PLBs)<\/strong>\n
          \n
        • Refurbishment and replacement projects at multiple sites, including structural repairs and upgrades to control systems and canopy covers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Key milestones are targeted for completion from November 2025 through 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)<\/strong>\n
              \n
            • A phased replacement of UPS units to improve energy resilience at critical touchpoints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Completion is scheduled for 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • People Movers<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                • Ongoing replacement and refurbishment of escalators and lifts to address long-standing operational inefficiencies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Several escalator installations have already been completed, and the overall programme will conclude in 2027.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  • Instrument Landing and Weather Systems<\/strong>\n
                      \n
                    • Replacement of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and Automated Weather Observation Systems (AWOS).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Most milestones are due by the end of 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      • Terminal and Roofing Works<\/strong>\n
                          \n
                        • HVAC upgrades, terminal roof waterproofing, replacing sprinkler systems and airside enhancements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          • Fuel Systems and Fire Infrastructure<\/strong>\n
                              \n
                            • Refurbishment of fuel receipt meters, hydrants, and booster pumps is underway.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                              ACSA said it is working closely with government, airlines, and commercial stakeholders to ensure that infrastructure investments are delivered efficiently, with minimal disruption to airport users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              The company has been one of the bright sparks for state-owned companies, and recently declared a huge dividend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              In 2024, ACSA declared dividends of R816 million to its shareholders, up R768 million for preference shares and R48 million for ordinary shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Mpofu previously said that the dividends highlight the company’s robust financial health and strategic management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Dividends are a significant source of fiscal revenue to investors, especially the government, which holds a roughly 75% stake in ACSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              For context, last year, the late Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan revealed that the government spent R282.6 billion in \u2018capital investments\u2019, i.e bailouts, into state-owned companies from 2019 to 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              The majority of this was spent on Eskom, which received R234 billion. However, the government’s capital investment resulted in little return, with only R1 million in dividends from SAFCOL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Year<\/th>\u201cCapital investment\u201d<\/th>Dividend<\/th><\/tr>
                              Eskom<\/td>R234 600 000 000.00<\/td>R0.00<\/td><\/tr>
                              Denel<\/td>R9 027 586 261.73<\/td>R0.00<\/td><\/tr>
                              SAFCOL<\/td>R0.00<\/td>R1 000 000.00<\/td><\/tr>
                              SAA<\/td>R33 136 000 000.00<\/td>R0.00<\/td><\/tr>
                              Transnet<\/td>R5 837 000 000.00<\/td>R0.00<\/td><\/tr>
                              Alexkor<\/td>R0.00<\/td>R0.00<\/td><\/tr>
                              Total<\/strong><\/td>R282 600 586 261.73<\/strong><\/td>R1 000 000.00<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
                              Source: Parliamentary Q&A to former Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                              \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                              Airports Company South Africa has announced a large maintenance and capital expansion programme. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":789995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[8151,22905,1164,22906,2138],"class_list":["post-828788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-acsa","tag-alexkor","tag-eskom","tag-safcol","tag-transnet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828788","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\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828788"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":828838,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828788\/revisions\/828838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/789995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}