Here is an extract for the ACSA website:
Billion rand Central Terminal Building arrivals to open at O.R. Tambo International airport - 2 September 2008
International passengers arriving at O.R. Tambo International Airport will be welcomed to Africa’s largest airport in style, as Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) opens the first phase of its R2.3 billion Central Terminal Building (CTB) tomorrow (03.09.08) at 6am. The CTB development is the largest single terminal building project that ACSA has ever embarked upon.
Tomorrow’s opening will see most arriving international passengers being processed through O.R. Tambo’s new international arrivals facility at the CTB, which includes a more user-friendly customs control process. Once international passengers have been processed, they will be received into a new international arrivals public concourse, two and a half times larger than O.R. Tambo’s current international arrivals halls.
The opening of the 18000 square meter space will also boast some retail facilities including a post office, cellular phone shops and foreign exchange services with various eateries expected to open by December this year. Next month will also mark the opening of the CTB’s retail facility and has been designed to link directly into to the current Domestic retail level.
By April next year, O.R. Tambo will be fully linked when the CTB’s departures facility becomes operational. The new departures hall will boast 75 new check-in counters, effectively linking O.R. Tambo’s international and domestic check-in facilities. At this point, passengers will be able to enjoy a fully complete multi-level terminal building located between the international and domestic terminals. In line with existing airport flow, departures activity will predominantly be on the upper level with arrivals activity on the ground level. The mezzanines will offer retail facilities and basements will be in use for services and baggage handling.
The project will be fully complete in December next year following the complete installation of the new baggage management system at international arrivals. Once the system is complete, a total of ten new baggage reclaim carousels will be in operation, four of which are 90 meter baggage carousels specifically designed for the massive new generation aircraft such as the Airbus A380.
Further, the construction of the Gautrain Station has been completed and has been handed over to Bombela for final finishing. The station is the first Gautrain station to be completed and handed over. The rail line will be elevated above the airport precinct (over the upper roadway system) and will be directly connected to the CTB.
O.R. Tambo’s General Manager, Chris Hlekane advised, “Members of the public collecting incoming international passengers should take heed of the new signage in order to orientate themselves. Passengers and meters and greeters will also be assisted by ACSA’s new i-Help Agents (identifiable by their orange waist coasts) located along the new route for any other queries.”
