Travellers urged to get to Cape Town airport 3-4 hours early after huge delays - TimesLIVE

Cape Town International Airport reported 60 flight delays on Friday as taxi-related unrest affected staffing levels and caused longer queues, particularly at domestic departure security screening points.

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) said the delays had affected 44 domestic departures, 11 international departures and five arrivals as of 1pm. The average delay was about 60 minutes, with no flight cancellations reported.

Acting regional GM Malcolm Koopman apologised to passengers for the disruption, which came on one of the busiest days of the week for domestic travel.

“We recognise the frustration and inconvenience this has caused, particularly on what is traditionally a busy Friday for domestic travel,” he said.

Koopman said airport teams were working to improve passenger processing times while prioritising the safety and wellbeing of travellers and staff. The airport has prioritised resources for terminal operations and security screening, brought in additional personnel from other airports and introduced measures to improve the flow of passengers through security checkpoints.

It has also freed up apron stands to accommodate arriving aircraft.

Passengers have been urged to arrive at the airport four hours before international departures and three hours before domestic flights until further notice.

Acsa advised travellers to plan their journeys in advance, monitor traffic updates and check their flight status with their airline or through the Acsa mobile app.

Passengers who have missed their flights should contact their airlines directly for assistance.

The airport said it would continue monitoring the situation and provide further updates if there were significant changes.