Four Airports to Open, But Rules Vague on Who Can Fly

Four airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban will open from Monday under Level 3 of the lockdown. The latest regulations specify who will not be allowed to travel, but not who will be. Earlier the government said that only business travel will be allowed, but there have been no further details.

Regulations published today said that the four airports opening on Monday are O.R. Tambo, Lanseria, Cape Town and King Shaka. No international flights are allowed unless they are vetted by the government.

Commercial domestic flights are allowed, but – under rule 5(1)(b)(í) – passengers may not fly for leisure, recreational or tourism purposes. The only further clarification of who can travel is the following:

“Passengers are required to provide written authorisation or proof of travel, confirming the reasons consistent with direction 5(1)(b)(í) and failure to produce such written authorisation or proof of travel, the passenger shall be automatically denied travel.”