4HolerPoler
20th Oct 2006, 09:44
Only 23 parking bays were available from a total of 7 650 at 14:46 on Thursday at Johannesburg International Airport's six leading parkades or open parking areas. The South African Airports Company Acsa said it had been caught off guard by the fast-growing number of passengers at the airport, which becomes OR Tambo Airport on October 27. An Acsa manager, Kesavan Naicker, said the company was concerned that its existing parking facilities were occupied 85% on average. An airport spokesperson, Solomon Makgale, said the airport's multi-storey parkade of 4 650 parking bays were 110% occupied during peak time. :confused: Beauts Solly - 110% :eek:
This meant as many as 5 115 vehicles were parked in virtually any open space and even in the middle of the road and on pavements. Naicker said: "What really caught us unawares the past two years was the fast-growing market in low cost air services and a different ratio between the number of passengers and vehicles." It seems that increasingly more people leave their vehicles at the airport when they go on travel. Another 700 under-cover bays are being occupied due to construction work to enlarge the multi-storey parkade, which would add 5 000 additional bays at the end of 2008, Naicker said. About 600 would already be available by April 2007 and 1 000 more by December. The extent of the problem became clear when Beeld, sister publication of Fin24, sent an SMS on Thursday at 14:46 with the word "parking" to Acsa's 35007 service - only 0.3% (23 out of 7 650) of the existing parking bays were available, and none in the parkade. An additional 600 parking bays (shade 3) had been made available at the airport's cargo section at a lower tariff. It used to be Acsa's staff parking. An additional 1 400 bays were made available opposite Emperor's Palace at R10 a day. A taxi service would be available free of charge between the terminal buildings and the parking area.
This meant as many as 5 115 vehicles were parked in virtually any open space and even in the middle of the road and on pavements. Naicker said: "What really caught us unawares the past two years was the fast-growing market in low cost air services and a different ratio between the number of passengers and vehicles." It seems that increasingly more people leave their vehicles at the airport when they go on travel. Another 700 under-cover bays are being occupied due to construction work to enlarge the multi-storey parkade, which would add 5 000 additional bays at the end of 2008, Naicker said. About 600 would already be available by April 2007 and 1 000 more by December. The extent of the problem became clear when Beeld, sister publication of Fin24, sent an SMS on Thursday at 14:46 with the word "parking" to Acsa's 35007 service - only 0.3% (23 out of 7 650) of the existing parking bays were available, and none in the parkade. An additional 600 parking bays (shade 3) had been made available at the airport's cargo section at a lower tariff. It used to be Acsa's staff parking. An additional 1 400 bays were made available opposite Emperor's Palace at R10 a day. A taxi service would be available free of charge between the terminal buildings and the parking area.