Cape Town International Airport is rated tops

[Deanw]

Now here's a surprise :ok:

Cape Town International Airport is rated tops

Cape Town International Airport has been named the best airport of its size in the world in the quarterly International Air Transport Association (IATA) Global Monitor.

Between January and March this year, Cape Town was rated the best of 17 other airports handling less than 15 million passengers per year including Athens, Vienna and Geneva. Durban came a close second.

The IATA report, based on surveys of international passengers, listed Cape Town International's key strengths as the cleanliness of the terminal buildings, customs inspection, security inspection, courtesy and helpfulness of staff and signposting.

Of the 51 airports of all sizes included in the Global Monitor, Cape Town was rated sixth.

The news came soon after Cape Town International celebrated its most successful year to date, handling five million passengers between April 2002 and March 2003.

"Not only have we handled more passengers than ever before, but we've done it better than we ever have before," general manager Monwabisi Kalawe commented. - Sapa

[Pontius' Pilot]

I have just returned to the Island from Cape Town on the 11th, and can concur with the comments made about it's international terminal.

It is exceptionally clean, the shop assistants are polite and friendly, and what struck me the most was how helpful and polite the customs and immigration staff were.

I see many international airport terminals and Cape Town can be truly proud of their achievement.

Well done Cape Town.

[BAKELA]

Well done and good on you Cape Town.:ok: :ok:

I'm just concerned that when Guns sees this thread he'll be unstoppable.:E ;)

[Deanw]

We'll definately have to get the Tassies out to celebrate :) :D

[George Tower]

Well that's great news to hear and well done to all those that have made it happen.

My met peeve about CT international is the bloody News Cafe. In the International Terminal it the only place you can get a drink/something to eat and it's very poor in terms of service and quality.:yuk:

[NorthSouth]

Well done FACT - as an international pax there for the last 8 years I certainly agree the new terminal is a BIG improvement and I think the staff are much better trained now too.

Pity they couldn't match it with a half-decent performance by ATC,which is little better than a recorded message saying "standby" or "call you back".

[Gunship]

:ok: Ahhh well done Kaapstad !!! :ok:

Guys (and Sharalumi) I am not surprised - I can just add to what has been said.

Other than what was said .. GT - News Cafe was always good when I went through.

What I do : I go to the Domestic Arrivals and eat with the wife and kids at DROS - before the flight - very nice !

Then : It is a BEAUTIFUL structure (architecture) - really love it !

AND VERY PROUD - YES BAKELA - Slaapstad will show you oke's :p

Nag ou Grote !



B O K K E !

[rags]

posted 14th June 2003 04:43

Guns do you ever sleep or are you sleeping in front of your computer.:O

Maybe only arrived home from Oom Tas

[REAL ORCA]

I think Cape Town ATC are very good. At least as good as any of the other major centres. Very accomodating as well.

Keep it up guys!!!

[Gunship]

RAGS Mate .. very little .. can not drive without Driver (shoulder op) so at night me and my TV (SPORT) and my Lapdog !

But in an hour : RUGBY - will get PI55ed and you will "hear" me again tomorrow ;)

GO CAPE TOWN (tx ORCA :p )

Gunns

[126,7]

I dont think you could compare Cape Town ATC to any major center.......Maybe as major as PE and East London yes, but thats it!

[REAL ORCA]

Yes, and like Durban.

At least at Cape Town there are no preferential (spelling) treatment given to any specific carrier- if you understand what I mean!;)

[Goldfish Jack]

As someone who has worked on the airfield for about 22 odd years, (so long -roll on pension), I think the time has come to have some ATC input here.

Whilst the airport/aerodrome whatever might look very nice and pretty and win lots of awards for its buildings, I think that ACSA should now seriously turn its attention to the air side of the airport.

(We all know about their latest whoops - apparantly the airbridge in A1 has been put up in the wrong place and cannot get to a B747's no 1 door.........................................) anyone willing to confirm this ??

To work on this airfield as a controller is an absolute nightmare. We have only 1 taxiway to/from the runways/apron, so to get aircraft through to the holding points when the apron is busy and there are no aircraft blocking the lane is a nightmare! Aircraft pushed back with a start problem can bring the whole airfield to a stop (and ask me it happens). Tempers raise and comments fly between pilots/engineers/tugs/comapny etc whilst they try and sort their problem out, meanwhile you have got 2 or 3 other aircraft waiting to get to the holding point. What is urgently needed is another by-pass taxiwaxy to get aircraft around the apron. Never mind trying to get a C150 to Echo with a whole lot of jets starting and not getting blown over - we have already had one....

You ever wondered why we need 8 miles on final for runway 19 between 2 heavy aircraft (even more with a wet runway) - you try and stop a B747 and turn off at Charlie - the turn is 135degrees so you can work out ow long it takes to get off the runway. What is urgently needed is some high speed turn offs. At least with runway 01 the taxiways are slightly more user friendly and the aircraft do not have to stop before they leave the runway (although some still do for some unknown reason). Thats why we prefer runway 01 as we can handle more aircraft per hour.

Can you show me anywhere else down here in Africa where we have anything from a lightning (quite often returning with a technical snag requiring a rescue standby - you know fire engines racing all over the airfield and trying not to hit aircraft and vice versa) to a C150 all in the circuit at the same time together with a few medium and heavy jets coming and going and helicopters wanting to train? Great fun and lovely to handle them but it can get a bit hectic, esp if you only have 6 months experience. Us olddies can handle it but give some of the youngsters a break - they are only trying their best and with the sword of you know who hanging over us if we make a mistake, just give them a break - where else are they going to get their experience? We all have to learn but if you want to fly a C150 in the circuit at 9am or 5pm do not expect to get many circuits in, especially with a B747 burning 10 tonnes per hour sitting at the hold. (remember what a B747 burns in 10 minutes is what a C150 burns in its lifetime).

Oh and never mind the apron - not enough parking bays, 3 aircraft all calling for start at the same time and all parked next to each other and wanting to start their pushback at the same time - no wonder the poor controller stresses every now and then. ACSA says you have to push back onto the line, so bad luck only 1 moves at a time so the others have to wait and so the delays snowball....... Never mind when an aircraft gets to their gate and someone else is there!! - then that aircraft has to go all round the airport to get back to another gate!! Don't laugh - its happened many times

Now you see how easy it is to be an ATC at Cape Town. But I wouldn't swop it for anywhere else, despite the crime, rape, pillage and ridiculous cost of beer in the waterfront, oh, and the most user unfriendly airport in the world. Oh and thanks for the nice comments here - it makes the job even more worthwhile

Now where are we going to put Qatar airlines, Kenya airlines, Air Botswana, Condor, LTU when they return in Oct, and those extra BA flights when they all arrive in November? OH and the rumours about Emirates and xxxxx and xxxxx and xxxxx also wanting to come here.

ACSA the time has come to start turning your attention to the airfield (it is that large green thing with black things all across it) otherwise you are going to have a major problem. It is all very well having lovely terminals but when you have no parking for them and will incur delays because the aircraft cannot get to/ from their gates to/from the runways you are going to have a major problem. It all sounds quite funny but it is very serious - and unless something is done and quickly the toursist are going to get p*&&^%d off and wont be back here.

Oh and I would hazard a guess the chap who always has to standby is a light aircraft wanting echo to do circuits at 5pm on a Friday..............., never ever been inside an ATC centre or even been to the local tower for a proper briefing, but is a world class expert on demanding a full ATC service when only paying 20% fees, as he is on a training flight........

[Gunship]

Really fantastic post Goldfish Jack !

Yes you are right - behind all the visuals ... there are these problems your pax do not / should not know .. I for one think it is great that you "have the right" to say your say om a public Forum.

Your last paragraphs sounds "strange"?

Surely the guy do not NEED to go into the ATC centre .. I mean we all did RT licences.

Is that what you meant ? But MUST AGREE ... those piskrieke needs another home .. it just not "ON" to have them buzzing around at a big expanding airport ...

Might get a few blowes there ... :uhoh:

[ZRH]

There are plenty of pisskrieke flying around at Zürich. No training takes place at the field, but they come and go. And I mean PLENTY!

Funny, at Jo-burg no vfrs were allowed without a transponder and a flight plan. Here they fly one of several vfr routes and have to put the transponder off !!! Otherwise their squawks just clutter allready very full radar screens!
Go figure...

[Gunship]

... I pressume Zurich has got a few runways and taxi - ways ?

I mean in the old days on Hoedspruit a C-130 will land on the taxi - Way while a Mirage F1 does a touch and go on the main runway, and we will do power - offs on the one threshold ... but it was so L O N G and B I E G .... so I think CT can not be "judged" against Zurich ?

Right ? Wrong ? :E

[ZRH]

I was actually comparing Zürich with Jo-burg. Dont know much about CPT having only been a pax into and out of CPT myself. One twy is very little and I understand the frustration of CPT ATC. Zürich has 3 rwys which all cross and noise abatement procedures which make it a night mare.
The lucky thing with JNB is that you gave Rand, Central and LA etc etc right next door where the pisskrieke can fly. Heaven forbid one of them wants to come to the big JS....But, if aviation in SA continous to grow at the rate that it does, ACSA has to do something otherwise there will be no more space to park or taxy any aircraft around on. Not even C150s. And when I say they (ACSA) should do something, I dont mean for them to increase landing and parking fees to scare the small guys away. They are as big a part of aviation as are the big boys.

[Gunship]

... very valid points ! A big Shame the two Trevor's are not on the board anymore ... come on guys - I am sure you have been forgiven ... I really take my hat of to the CT ATC's that still has the pisskrieke to worry about ... :E

[flutter by]

Ok guys, seeming that, I think, I must be the only student pilot on this forum, I would like to say may pennies worth.

The ATC at cape town does a great job, even with us pisskrieke in the atz as well....and yes I understand that when it gets bussy we do seem to get in the way a bit, I have heard sum scary RT from sum students, not that mine is that great either. I tend to book my flights at the non busy times at the airport, just for the reason to avoid being held short on taxiway charlie for 20 min, cause the biggies are coming in.....
The only thing that we, Pisskrieke, hey we all had to start somewhere, have is that we have the joy of learning at a busy and international airport, with live ATC, that boosts our confidence and prepares us for a lot when thinking of flying commercially.:ok:

What happened to the ysters idea they had for us Pisskrieke?
:sad:

[126,7]

Lanseria is a nice place to learn. Two runways, ILS,VOR,NDB, lots and lots of traffic from C150 to bigger jets like DC9 and all the othe biz jets that frequent jet-city!

Mate of mine at Spories told me once they were at the holding point in CPT behind a cherokie 140 and were told to line up behind. The captain read back: " lining up behind the wheel- chock"
Everybody thought it was funny except the cherokie jock who gave the spories guy a lecture on frequency, probably blocking it with his 5 minute rant. :O

[George Tower]

I have to say I have nothing but praise for the guys and gals in ATC. They are helpful and courteous not to mention professional and I would say that flying at FACT has given me a level of confidence I probably would not have gained had I trained at other locations in SA (can't comment on Gauteng as I have no experience of that area).

It's regrettable that as the airport expands GA may be one of the casualties, although I find it hard to believe that there is still an active flying school at Manchester in the UK - the traffic must be double that of Cape Town.

I hope ACSA can take on board Goldfish Jack's suggestions and act on them. Whilst on the subject of ATC I heard a rumour that the FAGG TMA was going to have radar installed but the service would be provided from Cape Town?

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

Well done CPT! I went to Cape Town airport February this year, and the newly built international departures lounge is excellent. They truly deserve this award. :ok:

Regards
BAe 146-100

[Goldfish Jack]

Thanks for the kind words about us ATCs. Makes the job even more worthwhile!

Some comments:

Yes Manchester is twice as busy as us, but they have parallel runways and can accomodate the light aircraft no problem.

George Tower: George is not getting a radar for some time yet, although it is pencilled in on the huge big plan. There is an en-route radar, which has been installed on the mountains (Blesberg) above the George area which is used by FACT area. It is only mode C thus cannot be used as a terminal radar. You are now going to ask why not put it at George? The reason is that it will be limited in its cover north of the mountains where we need it. It will be used to increase radar cover between FACT-FAJS, FACT-FADN and so reduce the separation required and so we can handle more flights. (we are being proactive and planning ahead to handle the projected increase in flights - I wonder if anyone at ACSA is doing this?)

As to the light aircraft going to Ysterplaat. It revolves around the ownership of the land. It belongs to the Graaff Trust and they "gave" it to the government on condition it was used for government purposes only. So if they can get passed that, then u never know... Also insurance purposes. What are your liabilities and costs iro operating a civilian aircraft at a military airfield which is utterly and totally non-compliant with ICAO procedures/requirements?

And now for the next problem: With the 2 airbridges about to be commissioned at FACT, it will be too expensive to leave aircraft there for the whole day (costs, under utilisation etc) so they are going to tow aircraft around the apron to try and get max utilisation of the two airbridges. SO be warned. there will be delays and you can expect to sit on taxiways, whilst aircraft are being towed around. Please do not shout at my colleagues - it is not them - direct your complaints to ACSA via apron on 122.65Mhz

[Gunship]

... I always knew a fish - bowl is not for me.

You guys are doing a splendid job ! :ok:

Wanna come and give some training to these morons here ? :}

See you 13 July ... KLM flight :p Yipeee can not wait :p

[George Tower]

Goldfish Jack

Interesting to hear about the radar around the Blesberg Mountains - how long has that been operational? Does that mean that there is now a flight information service available in the FACT FIR where we used to broadcast on 126.5?

The airbridge situation does seem like something of a joke - If ACSA want to spend money on the pax side of things at FACT I'd suggest a multi-story car park for the domestic terminal. Is it just me but during the day you can seldom get a car parking spot anywhere near domestic departures/arrivals.

Finally in view of the impending congestion on the ground that will happen as a result of the airbridges will light aircraft be allowed to depart from Charlie when RWY 19 is in use?

Many thanks

GT