By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) says the baggage sortation system has stabilised, and further investigations into the root cause of the luggage crisis are underway.
The baggage sorting system at the OR Tambo International Airport failed on Saturday, resulting in thousands of passengers being left without their baggage and essential belongings.
Bags had to be sent on later flights with airlines arranging to get them delivered to passengers.
In their most recent statement, Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) announced OR Tambo International was still experiencing intermittent technical challenges with the baggage sortation system delaying departure flights.
The issue started on Friday as Acsa issued a statement notifying passengers they were dealing with the issue in the domestic terminals.
Passengers were urged to arrive early to allow sufficient time for check-in.
Acsa has since extended its apologies to travelers who faced baggage delays during the peak festive season at South Africa’s busiest airport.
“Passengers are also requested to contact their airlines lost property office for all baggage enquiries. Once again, Acsa sincerely apologises to our travellers and customers for the inconvenience caused, and to thank passengers and airlines for their patience and understanding during this disruption,” Acsa said.
FlySafair CMO Kirby Gordon noted that about 3,000 bags were awaiting reunification with their owners as of Saturday morning, with an estimated total of twice that number of passengers affected across other airlines.
The operational crisis has not only caused inconvenience to travellers but also brought significant financial implications.
Ground handling companies have had to employ extra staff and allocate overtime to minimise the disruption’s impact, according to Gordon.
Airlines are also facing hefty courier bills for shipping luggage to reunite them with passengers.
Additionally, the incident prompted MSC Cruises to delay the departure of a ship from Durban harbour to resolve the luggage issue.