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First
stop on many a trip to South Africa is likely to be OR Tambo International
Airport. Get to know the facilities and plan ahead to ensure that all goes
smoothly once you've touched down.
From here you can take a domestic flight to
another South African city, or if you're staying in Johannesburg it's a quick
drive by hotel shuttle, hired car or taxi to your destination.
OR Tambo International Airport is the
busiest airport in southern Africa.
The only major airport in Johannesburg,
located 24 kilometres to the north-east of the city centre, it plays host to 53
airlines and more than 11 million visitors annually.
Terminals
Six terminals at the airport cater for both
domestic and international flights. They are within easy reach of one another
and are used as follows:
Terminal 1 – International arrivals
Terminal 2 – International arrivals
Terminal 3 – South African Airways and SA Express arrivals
Terminal 4 – Non-South African Airways domestic arrivals
Terminal 5 – Domestic departures
Terminal 6 – International departures
Customs Allowances
400 cigarettes, 250 grams
of tobacco and 50 cigarettes, one litre of spirit, two litres of wine,, 50ml of
perfume and 250ml of toilet water. Also gifts and souvenirs and all other goods
to the value of R500. No person under 18 is entitled to the alcohol or tobacco
allowances. Duty is levied at 20% thereafter.
Info, porters
If you need help, information kiosks can be found in each terminal. Baggage
trolleys and porter services are also widely available. Preferably use only the
Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) porters, who dress in blue uniforms and
display Acsa-authorised permits.
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Domestic air travel
A variety of airlines offer flights between South Africa's major cities and some
of the smaller ones, and most of them operate out of OR Tambo International.
See: Domestic flights
Banking
Banking facilities are conveniently situated at OR Tambo International,
and are open two hours before and after the arrival and departure of
international flights, 24 hours a day. Most banks will issue cash off a credit
card.
Both Absa Bank and Nedbank have branches at
Terminal 2 (international arrivals) on the public mezzanine level. For foreign
exchange transactions, outlets of Absa Bank, Rennies Foreign Exchange, Master
Currency and American Express can be found in Terminal 2 on the public
concourse.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are also
available in Terminal 2, as well as in Terminals 4 (domestic arrivals) and 5
(domestic departures). There is also an Absa Bank outlet in the international
departures hall in Terminal 6 that is solely for the use of non-South African
residents.
Restaurants and shops
OR Tambo International features various restaurants, fast-food outlets,
bakeries and coffee shops located throughout the six terminals. Among the shops,
Big Five Duty Free is second in size only to the duty-free shop at London's
Heathrow Airport. There are also bookstores, florists and shops selling African
artefacts, biltong (dried meat), dried fruit, sweets, cellular (mobile) phones,
shoes and sportswear.
The South African rand is widely regarded
as being undervalued, so shopping here offers great value for money!
Transport
Assess your options for getting from Africa's busiest airport to wherever
you're staying in the city, and back again: To & from Johannesburg airport
Parking
There is ample parking at OR Tambo International. Four ground-level car
parks, one multi-storey park and one underground park are located near to the
terminal buildings. Shuttle and golf cart services run every five to six minutes
between the more remote parking areas and the terminals. Fees for the different
car parks vary, with two payment systems in use:
Pay-on-foot. This requires you to pay at
ticketing machines found outside the airport building. The machine will validate
your ticket, which can then be used to exit the parking area.
SpeedPark. This features a pre-paid
rechargeable card with extra benefits for frequent users. The cards are
available from the First Park Office at the airport.
Useful links
Airport contact info (click on “contact
info”, then on “airports” beneath it)
Domestic flights
A variety of airlines offer flights between South Africa's major cities and
some of the smaller ones.
South African Airways, SA Airlink and SA
Express fly between all the major cities and some of the smaller ones.
Kulula.com offers cut-price flights on the more popular routes – between
Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. British Airways, operated by Comair, and
Nationwide operate flights between all the major cities.
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You need to be at the airport an hour before
departure for domestic flights.
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South African Airways
