Construction of the remote apron stands at the OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) is set to begin this year according to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA). Acting ACSA CFO Lindani Mukhudwani said the US $163m projects will be completed by 2020.
The remote apron stands will be constructed at the current air traffic control complex. Mukhudwani notes that the remote apron stands will be developed at a distance from the terminal building and will accommodate long-stay and cargo aircraft.
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Other projects at the airport
There are other notable development projects at the airport which includes a western precinct. The western precinct will occupy about 8.5 ha, 180,000 meters square of land in a mixed-use development that will include a hotel, offices and retail space.
According to Mukhudwani the first phase which will include the ACSA’s new head office will be complete at the end of 2020 as they seek to relocate from Bedfordview. The entire precinct project is valued at US $311m and will be developed as a multiyear project.
Another Capex development project is the Midfield cargo development whose phase one has a budget of US $149m. The project will include cargo handling and warehousing facilities and is set to start in 2023 to 2026 according to Mukhudwani.
“Once ready the development will have the capacity to handle over two-million tones of cargo,” said Mukhudwani. She added that ACSA has a Capex budget of US $678m over the next three years with about US $312m to flow from borrowings and the remaining to be funded in-house. The projects are expected to create job opportunities and boost the economy through the expansion of the Airport to accommodate more flights and handle more cargo.
