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OR Tambo will be able to cope

2010-07-08 12:02

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Freddy7/9/2010 10:04 AM: Thanks Jackie, let us keep focus. I would also like to understand how we can portray the entire SWC as a disaster due to 600 people? a single event, very small event! ACSA, all the Airlines, FIFA, the LOC, etc have produced the redistribution of +/- 3 milj tourist for the SWC, and a bunch of narrow minded individuals are staring themselves blind at only 600 people? It happens all over the world, in far larger scales than here. I travel allot, and in the best European Airports you also get delayed, diverted or turned around. You choose how you will deal with it, negatively or positively. Shame all you victims, sorry you are all suffering so much.

jackie7/9/2010 8:01 AM: Most people dont realise you cant just tow a plane-they lock the wheels from the inside and if there are no keys to the plane-how do you get it to actually tow it? Secondly-pilots get awarded with slots. When the system at ATNS failed-they used a manual system-however seeing as there is no info available due to systems being down-its first come first serve. The pilots of the vip aircrafts pay no more than normal aircrafts-the rate is standard. I do come from an aviation background and its so easy for everyone to say oh Acsa should have done this-or that. But they also have to abide by the rules CAA have implemented. Sure let aircrafts park at the old airport-where no staff are, it will be fine right? and Acsa must just be magicians and produce tickets to an already sold out match. Because they were especially vindictive and wanted this to happen. Get off your high horse-this happens at ALL airports across the world. To say the world cup has now been tainted is being so hypocritical. Everything has run well-yes one glitch-but its not like it hasnt happened before.

Goldfinger7/8/2010 5:06 PM: To those who are uncritically buying Acsa's line that private aircraft operators were to blame: perhaps this is true, but a word of caution. Acsa is a government institution; government institutions are infamous for dodging accountability, passing the buck, finding other 'soft targets' to blame, etc. So lets not be overly hasty in pronouncing judgment before we know all the facts - I have a funny feeling there's two sides to this story, with managerial incompetence at Acsa the overriding factor!! I have a hunch that Acsa didn't get its house in order with the private operators in good time.

pb7/8/2010 3:54 PM: If the VIP plane pilots are to blame for not moving their aircraft, I cannot help but wonder at the speed at which these usually compliant and law-abiding professionals adopted the civil disobedience attitudes of the local taxi drivers.

nic7/8/2010 3:48 PM: With mistakes like this, to me means that Durban is not fit enough to host the Olympics. Cape Town is once again the only city capable enough combined with its beauty that can host the Olympics when SA puts in another bid for the Olympics.

Goldfinger7/8/2010 3:28 PM: @Rose has a problem with Rose's comments, which in my view were spot-on - in Africa there is NO accountability. Rose was simply making an observation -that dodging responsibility or scapegoating 'whites' no matter how tenuous, is the name of the game in ANC-controlled Mzansi. If only the racial unity and sense of nation seen in the World Cup was actually practised by the ANC in thought, word and deed! However, if you disagree with Rose, by all means disagree, but why tell her to grow up? Have you heard of free speech? Don't forget we live in a 'democracy' where even twerps like you have to be tolerated!! I'm grateful that not everyone who visits this site are victims of Groupthink!! Remove your blinkers Polyannas, we can still love our country AND criticise when necessary!!

50 CALIBER7/8/2010 3:22 PM: LAZZA, WHERE THE HECK IS THE NATAL MILITARY AIR BASE???

DeonL7/8/2010 2:49 PM: The SWC started on a high note, but after the strikes of bus drivers and Security guards and security slip ups and now Durban problems it is below par. At least we can say it was the Best World Cup ever in Africa, sadly it was the first and propably last SWC to be held in Africa.

@rose7/8/2010 2:40 PM: why all the anger, say smthn meaningfull you seem to be the one stuck up in the apartheid era, what would make you raise that issue and go off topic.Grow up !!!

all for nothing7/8/2010 2:33 PM: it was turning out to be best world cup ever, but the mess-up at king shaka airport has left 1000s of fans dissapointed, a dissapointment they will cary for a long time. stories of children crying at airports and people being told their planes wont land in durban are being told all over the internet. Just google Durban under news and see websites from Taiwan, Austrlaia, to India, to the UK and Canada to Israel all talking about this story. President Zuma and the leaders of Durban and KZN, as well as FIFA needs to apologise and say sorry asap

Skeletor17/8/2010 2:22 PM: The problem here is not if they can Cope. There is 2 problems here; 1 the VIP planes landed and did not vacate. At ORT you have a 2 hour turn around time. This is rediculouse if you have to off load and load 60-80 tons of cargo. As with VIP aircrafts at DBN this 2 hours turn around time is not for all carriers, like the ones that is up ACSA's %$#%^%$. The second problem was the story that they did not know of all these aircraft. ACSA is telling a BIG story. You have to have security clearances to fly around in RSA airspace and land at airports, that is why the SAAF and police is working 24 hours. If this was true the planes would have had a fighter pilot escorting them away. ACSA is to blame!!

LAZZA7/8/2010 1:56 PM: THe old Durban Int Airport has a runway of 2439 meters, funnily enough the Natal Military Airbase has a runway of 2440 meters and is apparantly up and running, surely the foreign dignatiries could have landed there and would have been perfectly accomodated

Gatvol7/8/2010 1:51 PM: Who the hell are these VIP anyway? Just fat bastards who live off the fat of our land and rather see the people who are full paying visitors miss the game.... Who gives them the right to have advantage over paying visitors.... it is the same on the roads why must we give way to the VIP brigade on the roads when we pay MORE tax than them so what makes them so special

Notsoproudnow7/8/2010 1:46 PM: Thank goodness Joburg has Lanseria and the Rand Airport as back ups. Any private Jet can land at Rand Airport and probably even get to the Stadium sooner as it is closer than OR Tambo. I hope OR Tambo redirects any private plane to those airports and allows commercial flights prevalence. It would be a shame to have a half empty stadium due to muck ups like this. After such a wonderful world cup with only minor issues thus far we don't need the world to remember us as the country that had an empty stadium for the final due to a crisis at the airport. All I can say now is that Durban shouldn't dare bid for the Olympics now!

Proud SA Citizen7/8/2010 1:40 PM: Durban has let us down ! No matter which way you look at it, Durban has wiped off the table all the good we have achieved. Can you imagine what these supporters will tell their friends when they arrive back home ? The person in charge of King Shaka Airport must get fired. Let's stop playing games - either you deliver or you go. The same must be done in government - all these imcompetent cadre deployment appointees must go. We can make this country the best in the world, but only if people perform in their jobs.

Paul7/8/2010 1:37 PM: The private planes could not use the old Durban airport as it was de-commissioned. ACSA requested the de-commissioning to force airplanes to make use of King Shaka. If something went wrrong at the old airport, the planes would not have been insured.

YasButIDunno7/8/2010 1:36 PM: ACSA is no more than a money-making scam operated by a bunch of incompetent tenderpreneurs. I was at Joburg Int. last week dropping someone off and they clamped my car while I went to show my passenger where to go to get the Gautrain. I know I shouldn't have left the vehicle but the Clampers were standing there when I parked and made no effort to warn me, and there were no warning signs either that I could see. I'm now R350 the wiser.

curious7/8/2010 1:34 PM: easy - those pilots get paid more than the acsa members collectivley. Also noted that the stadium was down 1 800 people. Wonder where they were.....!!!!!!!!!!! FIFA should not even have to think about refunding those people that came for the game. They should get the acsa officials and suspend them for poor work performance. If they cant even get the pilots to respect the rules and regs of the airport in whose country they are a vistor, then they are not worth being their. I hope those pilots are also taken to book for causing the nonsense. They were probably sick because they had to sit in the airport lounge and watch the game.

aj7/8/2010 1:28 PM: ACSA had no idea how many planes would arrive...haha...all aircraft have to file flight plans in advance so of course they knew..and this on the same day the mayor announces Durban can host the olympics..lol!

Josie7/8/2010 1:21 PM: @Lu. It's all very well to say "why didn't they use Durban International" (the old airport which is currently desolate). Where in heaven's name would the personnel & technical staff come from to run a second airport? Hundreds of people would have been required. They're short-staffed enough as it is at the new airport, working 24 hrs a day! All the national airports are currently very busy so staff wouldn't even be available from elsewhere. In Joburg it should be easier since OR Tambo is much bigger and Lanseria is a fully functioning airport. Let's hear from those who insisted Durban didn't need a new airport! Imagine the chaos if we only had the old one! No I don't work for ACSA or have anything to do with them - just being realistic!

DILLIGAF7/8/2010 1:15 PM: FIFA are to blame as it was their VIP jets that had preference to land before the commercial flights. So typical rather let a handfull of FIFA VIPs get to the game, than 100's of paying football supporters. I will miss the football after Sundays final, but as for the FIFA mafia good ridance!!!!

greatdaneza7/8/2010 12:47 PM: Will the CEO, please tell the country how much income that ACSA earned from the VIP plans...I think that ACSA chose the profit motive instead of the national interests/reputation of the country. We the people of south africa demand an investigation into this fiasco. Further the VIP planes should be named and shamed (banned from airports)....and charged penalities or fined...Further why didnt ACSA tow these planes away and make these planes pay before the planes are released.....I really hope that those who SAA didnt land had SAA obtain a full refund from SAA who in turn demand a full refund from ACSA....BTW can someone who is fully informed about african culture reveal whether "blaming the customer" is not african culture. At the same time can someone tell the CEO that she must assume accountability for this mess and hopefully not be paid a bonus

rose7/8/2010 12:42 PM: And when it all goes wrong we'll blame 'apartheid' or someone else - the blame will never go to the person whose job it actually was to make sure that f-ups like this don't occur. He or she will get a fat bonus for a 'job' well done. Cause that it how it is done in Africa.

Rogan Dawes7/8/2010 12:40 PM: This is ridiculous! How is it that operators of an aircraft can simply refuse to obey instructions of an airport that they are using? Fine the operators, and use the money to compensate the people who missed games, etc.

Fred7/8/2010 12:28 PM: After listening to their CEO this morning, I am afraid I have no confidence in ACSA. Sure that may cope, but it will not be because they know what they are doing.

Lu7/8/2010 12:23 PM: why didnt they use Durban International airport to allow more planes to land????poor planning in the airport company...am not impressed at all with what happened yesterday.People bought the tickets for the semi finals and booked the airplanes and now they lost all that money for what????

tass7/8/2010 12:22 PM: I hope they make arrangements with lensiria airport as a back up.

Twolips7/8/2010 12:14 PM: What happened at King Shaka would not have happened if the old airport had not been closed down for this occasion. ACSA knew way beforehand that a semi-final was to be played in Durban. The private planes could have landed there for starters.

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