Baggage theft at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg was “out of control”, prompting travellers to use alternatives to South African Airways, CEO Siza Mzimela said.
Pilferage at other airports in South Africa was also “very high”, Mzimela told members of Parliament’s tourism committee. Members of the committee wondered how the problem could persist after huge investment in baggage handling equipment.
According to a report in Business Day on Wednesday, Mzimela told the committee that the airline suffered more reputational damage than other airlines from baggage theft at OR Tambo because so much of its capacity was concentrated there.
The airline’s acting head of group corporate affairs, Dileseng Koetle, said that pilferage at OR Tambo was 0,6 per 1Â 000 — double the average 0,3 rate at other airports in the world.
Mzimela said the problem had to be dealt with collectively instead of all involved — including Airports Company SA (Acsa) — pointing fingers at each other, said Business Day.
Acsa spokesperson Solomon Makgale said the company was working hard to curb baggage theft, which had declined over the past three years. – Sapa