world summit in august

[hammerheads]

I would like to know what everyone thinx is going to happen when this summit happens at Johannesburg at the end of August 2002. What plans have air traffic control made to accommodate the large amount of traffic? (if any). What have the local airlines done to inform their customers of the possible delays? Are there enough parking spots in the country to handle the traffic? Are there enough air traffic controllers also?:confused:

[maxrated]

Hammerheads,

In reply to your numerous yet important questions :

1 - A complete ******-up

2 - nothing that we've been advised of, but I havnt read my new notams yet.

3- Absolutley nothing,
although airports company has been very progressive and advised pax to be at the airports 3 hours ahead of departure times even for domestic flights and that pax will have to produce two (2) forms of ID before being checked in. IE it will be quicker to drive.

4- Not at the civillian airports, around the PWV,
although with any luck Gaddaffi's flying flotilla could get a parking space at mMabatho international or even better, Bisho, and drive the rest of the way to Sandton, via the Umtata road arriving just in time for the closing ceremony where he would be able to do the least amount of damage.

5-Probably not
but knowing the diligence of the JHB atc's they'll probably make a plan.

[Gunship]

Hold your breath, Joburg (SUNDAY TIMES)

The World Summit

City has spent millions to host the world - but how many will come to the party?

Simpiwe Piliso

Joburg has taken a huge multimillion-rand gamble on the World Summit - and is now praying that it'll pay off.

This week organisers were talking about only 45 000 delegates arriving - almost 30% less than the 65 000 previously predicted.


Also this week, the head of organised business in Joburg said he was praying for a smaller turnout at next month's event. Too many foreign visitors, he said, could overwhelm the city.


Metro bosses earlier predicted that the 10-day international event would be worth R1.2-billion to the local economy. But now it appears that Joburg could pocket just a fraction of its anticipated profits. Even hotels and businesses stand to lose a fortune.


20 000


So far only about 20 000 delegates have confirmed their attendance. The organisers, the Joburg World Summit Company, have already booked 65 000 hotel rooms, including guest houses and private homes.


The city is spending up to R65-million to upgrade its aging infrastructure, including building and extending roads, upgrading its sewerage system, and repairing all traffic lights and road markings.


It is also forking out R5-million to renovate the historic Turbine Hall in Newtown which delegates are expected to visit.


City bosses even budgeted R4-million for the metro police to work overtime, R2.5-million for ambulance and fire services, and R750 000 for Pickitup staff.


Major South African companies also donated more than R5-million to the event.


But this week Jowsco spokesman Thandi Davids revealed that the company still did not know how many delegates would come. "We'll be in a better position to confirm the figure during the first week of August . . . accreditation is still taking place."


Council politicians meanwhile were optimistic that a flood of last-minute confirmations would pour in closer to the opening of the summit on August 26.


Davids said she was confident that between 45 000 and 65 000 people would arrive in Joburg in the days immediately before the opening. Earlier Jowsco had consistently projected at least 65 000 visitors.


Hotels that are already fully booked include the Hilton, Sandton Sun and Towers, Michelangelo in Sandton, Protea Wanderers in Illovo, The Westcliff, the Park Hyatt and Grace Hotel in Rosebank and the Parktonian in Braamfontein.


"The hospitality industry is aware that arrangements do change at the last minute," said Federated Hospitality Association of SA executive director Willem Fick. "Although hotels are excited by the fact that they are fully booked, they are still prepared for any changes."


Fick added that he attended a meeting this week at which Jowsco had assured the hospitality industry that over 40 000 people were expected.


"Forty-thousand people could fill all the hotel beds in the Joburg," he said.


Joburg businesses are still optimistic that the summit will be a roaring success despite a poor turnout.


"Even if 30 000 people attend the summit, it'll still be a successful event," said Joburg Chamber of Commerce chief executive Marius de Jager.


He added that Jowsco had said that less than 30 000 people had confirmed they would attend.


"This is good news for Joburg," said De Jager. "Joburg would be unable to handle the anticipated 65 000 delegates.


"We could handle 40 000 or less and easily promote Joburg as a world-class venue. But more than 50 000 people could be a massive strain on the city and could result in problems which could have a negative impact on the city's image."


De Jager said 30 000 visitors could all "comfortably" stay at the booked hotels and guest houses - creating a lot less hassle for the organisers.

[V1 Rotate]

The best advise is to take a vacation through this period.

The self opinionated self elected bunch of theives and dictators will make everyone elses life a misery. Gaddaffi, Mugabe and Castro will be guests of honour and Saddam and Co will be hailed as heros.

All of the real issues, population explosion, de-forestation, desertification, mass extinctions and human rights will be all conveiniently side stepped as they always are at such events.

Only good thing is that they will blow billions of dollars on them selves and hopefully some of this will rub off locally.

I for one will be far away!

V1 Rotate

[directnospeeds]

Hammerheads

This Summit from an ATC perspective is going to be very interesting!! If management have a plan up their sleeves, i.e flow control, slots,etc then us mushrooms are being treated as normal. Our sector capacity on a normal day is over-utilized, and we are supposed to handle more? The stacks are going to be full!!!

We haven't seen any plans yet except for the requirement to file FPL's 24hrs before ETD. What do we do- Let the hordes in from the North, and stop domestics because we have run out of R/T space?

In reply to your question on staffing levels- we are probably at 40% of required levels- if two people book off sick at once, sectors close. We had one controller who's MANDATORY leave was refused due lack of staff. Pleasant for him, maybe he'll have some next year!!

Good luck to you all!

[Gunship]

:D

Sandton's central business district is to be sealed off during the Earth
Summit in September when 85 000 delegates and 180 world leaders are expected.
The town centre will temporarily become United Nations territory and all who
enter must do so by bus. 450 minibuses will be hired and drivers will be
carefully selected and trained. My taxi driver friend from Soweto,
Togetherness Amadeus Tshabalala, underwent his driving test the other day to
see if he would be a suitable candidate for driving one of the UN buses during
the 10-day Earth Summit. He took along his faithful old Toyota Hi-Ace with its
BMW hubcaps and stickers that read "Even God loves taxi drivers" and "Defeat
constipation, travel by taxi". The front of the vehicle still bore the big
dent, shaped suspiciously like a traffic cop with both arms out. Togetherness
told me his passengers - who were in fact his examiners consisted of 2 black
men, an Indian and a White man, but by the time he had driven them around
Sandton they were all white. Now, Togetherness knows Sandton like the back of
his hand. He knows every shortcut. So when, during his orientation test he was
asked to take the shortest route from Fifth Street to Rivonia, he cut through
Woolworths, a school playground and 2 branches of Pick 'n Pay. When they asked
him to imagine he was carrying a VIP American who was in a hurry, Togetherness
drove so fast he overtook a police car chasing a getaway car. Then he overtook
the getaway car. He shouted pleasantries to the cops and the robbers, for he
knew them all well. He made a thoughtful little gesture to his imaginary
American passenger by slipping an Elvis Presley record into the vehicle's CD
player. As the walls of the taxi flexed with the sound waves, Togetherness
shouted ( in what he considered an American accent ) some intelligent
questions, such as "Say man, you Yanks still fightin' the kaftans, huh?" His
examiners started firing "typical" questions at him - the sort of questions
they said he must anticipate from delegates from weird and wild countries such
as Uzbekistan and France. "How far is Pretoria from here?" asked the White
man. Togetherness said it was about 8 minutes away. "Eight minutes! But
Pretoria's 60 kilometres away!" said the White man aghast. "OK, 10 minutes
then," Togetherness said. "And is it true there are lions in the streets of
Johannesburg? Even white lions?" asked one of the examiners feigning a British
accent. Togetherness misheard him: "White lines?". He began explaining the
white lines down the middle of the road and how he thought double white lines (
which he had just crossed in order to overtake a petrol tanker ) were for
cyclists to cycle in between. "I notice that you stop at green lights but not
at red ones," said an examiner in a muffled voice ( because by now he was
cowering under his seat ). "Too dangerous to drive through green lights,"
shouted Togetherness as Elvis got into All Shook Up. "So many taxi drivers
shoot the red light that nowadays it's safer to stop at green and to take off
at red." Togetherness thought the test went well but he's not sure whether
he's been selected. As he drove away, I noticed he had a new sticker in the
rear window: "Want your skin lightened? Take a taxi."
:D Have a great day !

[hammerheads]

Thanx for all the replies, all this gen pretty much checks with my info, which rhymes with duck ball!

Good luck to all the ATCs and pilots in the area!

p.s. Pilots make sure u have lotsa fuel, ATCs make sure u have lotsa patience!

[Skaz]

bwaahaahaa...sob,snif, geeheehee...ohboy, Gunship, havent laughed that hard since watching Air Botchwana land in Maun !

[AfricanSkies]

ATC's...maybe you could arrange a little 'coming together' of the Zimbabwean and Libyan contingents over HBV ? Keep them in the hold at the same level until you see the blips disappear? Pleeeze?

Be two less parking bays to worry about...

[hammerheads]

All 2 tru your story Gunship, but I don't think that our little diplomatic visitors will be coming close to SA customs with the way the lanes are blocked off at FAJS whenever the people's employees (government officials) park at the airport.

I think it would be best to keep our hammerheads low for this time (tassies?) and watch CNN for the reports.

Methinx the ATCs should consume plench before to maintain their sense of humour, I wouldn't want to be on shift if the alluminium shower happened at HBV, whether Libyan or not.

I all honesty, I hope the whole thing goes well and these true Hammerheads can go back to their respective havens and tell all the bussinessmen (or women), "At the bottom of Africa, is a little spot that rock, I think we should throw money at them and see what happens!"

[directnospeeds]

AfricanSkies

We've just had a good laugh at your HBV request :D The actual truth is that most of these wally's will pop up at the FIR without FPL's or functioning transponders,or radios.

If we can't see them or talk to them, maybe we won't have to help with your request at all. Leave it to them and they might do it themselves :D

[Dr Know]

AfricanSkies

How about introducing NVSM from the north. No Vertical Separation minimas!

[AfricanSkies]

yeh..i was thinking of offering to compile a new STAR ..the Summit 1 Alpha....something like a R010 from HBV for 30d then a 270 degree turn to the right descending to 4500 feet (on a QNH of 943, of course) :D

[Dumas]

As a controller at FAJS, I apologize in advance to the local flyers for the huge delays they'll be subject to this weekend and possibly for a few days thereafter.

The ATC's were given a briefing sheet (20 pages or so) on friday of procedures to be complied with as of saturday. Really good pre planning again by our employer!!!!!!

We'll do our best, but we're not superhuman.



:(

[Gunship]

Good luck guys ! Think you need a lot of prayers and luck this weekend ! Will have a beer on you ... :eek: Gunnssss come on first got to fly in the damn West African rain .. :(

[BadAndy]

I have to fly a batch of local dignitaries (I use the term loosely) in on Wednesday and out on Thursday. I've talked them into using Lanseria airport. The only problem is I've never been there in a slow time, let alone a busy one. Where can I get all the pertainent info (slot times, flight plans, entry requirements, etc)? Being stuck here in Malabo, it's hard to find that kind of stuff. If anyone has any useful suggestions (aside from staying home, thanks), please drop me an email ASAP at [email protected]. Thanks, and talk to some of ya'll (I'll be the guy with the Texas accent on the radio...) this week.

Andy Reitz

[AfricanSkies]

and so, as this event draws to a close, it's decisive delegates have staunchly agreed to agree on the following wishy washy points :

To halve the number of people in Africa lacking basic sanitation by 2015
To "substantially increase" renewable energy although no targets have been set
To "significantly reduce" the loss of species by 2015
Increasing links between trade, environment and development

this after hundreds of millions of rands spent, life in johannesburg disrupted...after two weeks of living it up in luxury accomodation, being escorted in their nice shiny Mercs and BMW's by our much-needed police...after allowing Mugabe a platform to deliver rhetoric against the very countries whose aid is the only thing standing between Zimbabwe and total famine.

another shiny expensive failure.

i wonder if they are naive idealists or sly thieves?