Net profit rose from about $71 million in the previous year, while total revenue increased 11.6%. Aeronautical income climbed 15.2%, with non-aeronautical revenue rising 7.7%.
ACSA Chief Financial Officer Luzuko Mbotya, speaking to Channel Africa on Wednesday, attributed the performance mainly to passenger growth following the severe disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the main, it is the traffic growth that we experienced in the last 12 months,” Mbotya said.
“We’re not yet at pre-COVID numbers. We’ve just reached about 98% of pre-COVID traffic.”
Higher passenger numbers supported landing and passenger tariffs while strengthening retail, advertising and other commercial operations. “We’re quite pleased with the performance registered by our non-aeronautical portfolio,” Mbotya said.
“We’re seeing good growth indicators, particularly coming from the retail and advertising portfolio.”
However, ACSA continues to face an infrastructure backlog after aviation projects were delayed during the pandemic. “There’s a huge backlog of infrastructure in the aviation industry, and this is not just unique to us. It’s a global phenomenon,” Mbotya said.
The company is expanding procurement and infrastructure capacity to accelerate capital projects. Planned work includes upgrades to the domestic terminal at OR Tambo International Airport and the domestic arrivals terminal at Cape Town International Airport.
Investment will also focus on advanced security technology and improving passengers’ airport experience.
Higher jet-fuel prices and geopolitical instability affected domestic and international travel during the financial year. “A spike in jet fuel does have a direct impact on the ticket price, which consequently has an impact on traffic,” Mbotya said.
OR Tambo International Airport delivered the strongest performance because of the scale of operations, while Cape Town International Airport benefited from international leisure and business travel.
King Shaka International Airport performed below expectations, although ACSA recorded improving traffic at regional airports. “Our focus in the next couple of years will be to elevate traffic across the balance of our network,” Mbotya said.
–ChannelAfrica–
