AFTER a seven months hiatus of international commercial flights, King Shaka International Airport last week welcomed back international flights.
Their arrival comes after government’s announcement of regulations allowing for resumption of international flights and International guests under specific conditions.
General Manager of King Shaka International Airport, Terence Delomoney said the flights represented a watershed moment for the province.
“It is testament to the Aviation Industry, all our staff and stakeholders who continue to work hard behind the scenes to enable us to achieve moments like this. We are hopeful that this marks the start of many international flights to be processed through King Shaka International Airport.
Read also: KZN Premier pleased with King Shaka’s adherence to Covid-19 regulations
“We have been greatly encouraged by how local domestic passengers have taken to the skies. We want to emphasise that continuing to maintain a safe airport environment is our key priority. This is largely dependent on the attitude and behaviour of our passengers, and if we could continue the success we have had on the Domestic front into the International part of the operation, we will continue to build confidence and trust amongst our travelling public; and hopefully convert more of our non-travelling public into travellers.”
Importantly, all international passengers are required to do a Covid-19 test in their country of origin and present the negative test results document on arrival in South Africa.
The test result must have been received no more than 72 hours before boarding the flight to South Africa. Should the traveller display any Covid-19 related symptoms or been in contact with an infected person(s), they will be expected to take a mandatory Covid-19 test.
This test will be at the traveller’s cost. If the test comes back positive, the traveller will be subjected to a 10-day quarantine at a designated site. The accommodation at a quarantine site will be at the traveller’s cost.
“King Shaka International Airport is calling on all passengers to be honest about their declarations, and anyone that maybe experiencing any symptoms should be protecting themselves and others, by not attempting to travel until they are medically cleared. The need to diligently follow the basic Covid-19 health and safety protocols that have been put in place cannot be over-emphasised .” added Delomoney.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532.