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Slow passport control costs Cape Town airport millions in revenue

Source: Cape Town ETC, 08/06/2018


Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has lost R25-million in retail
revenue from duty-free shopping because of sluggish passport control
and a shortage of staff.
At the Standing Committee on Economic Opportunities, Tourism and
Agriculture this week, Western Cape spokesperson for Economic
Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture and a Member of Parliament,
Beverley Schäfer, said that the average waiting time for inbound
international passengers at passport control at CTIA currently sits
at 27 minutes and 38 seconds, far above the international best
practice average of 10 minute.
Schäfer continued to explain that these delays are caused by the
reduced numbers of immigration officers employed at CTIA, coming down
from 82 to 68. CTIA has also seen an increase in inbound flights by
750 000 since 2015. She confirmed that the Home Affairs’ passport
control delays are causing an overall loss of R25-million in duty-
free shopping.
Schäfer also stated that during peak hours, the Department of Home
Affairs opens only five counters out of the available 18 to process,
on average, 35 000 passengers per day, causing a bottleneck at
passport control which causes delays for passengers and cripples
airport activity.
Schäfer also expressed concern that the neglect of the airport’s duty-
free shopping experience is largely affecting economic activity and
threatening thousands of jobs in the Western Cape. She said she will
shortly be addressing the diminishing numbers of Home Affairs
officials employed at the CTIA with the Western Cape Minister of
Economic Opportunities, Tourism, and Agriculture, Alan Winde.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has promised to raise concerns with the
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) regarding the number of immigration
officials employed.
The official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for the
Western Cape and its capital Cape Town, Wesgro, has also joined the
conversation stating that CTIA experienced a 20% growth in
international terminal passengers, succeeding the world average of 8%.
The current growth of the Cape Town International Airport is expected
to secure more than 150 000 international inbound seats from three
new flight routes in 2018 alone. The delays and dwindling numbers of
Home Affairs officials are expected to greatly affect this growth and
threaten thousands of employees within the tourism and retail sectors
as well as discourage the return of international visitors to the
Mother City.


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