Discover O.R Tambo International Airport, Africa's Largest and Busiest Airport

Discover O R International Airport, Africa’s Busiest AirportHello Displorers, welcome to another informative video presented to you by Displore and thanks for watching. In this video we will take you to the beautiful country of South Africa and shine the light on the busiest airport in Africa, the O R Tambo International Airport. The transport sector in Africa is an ever-growing sector and a reason for the current bolstering continent we have. Of the mediums of transport, air is one of the most improved and essential as it transports tourists, goods, services, labour and so much more that brings progress to every country through exchange. Amongst the numerous airports the continent boost of, the king is the O R International Airport and in this video, we will go on a joy flight to discover the busiest airport on the continent. O. R. Tambo International Airport is an international airport situated in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and is Africa's busiest airport, with a capacity to handle up to 28million passengers annually. The airport which serves as the hub for South African Airways was originally known as Jan Smuts International Airport, named after the former South African Prime Minister. The airport was renamed Johannesburg International Airport in 1994 when the newly elected African National Congress government implemented a policy of not naming airports after politicians. This policy was later reversed, and on 27 October 2006 the airport was renamed O. R. Tambo International Airport after Oliver Reginald Tambo, a former ANC President.If you are new here, welcome, be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any of our videos.The airport was founded in 1952 as Jan Smuts International Airport, two years after Smuts's death, near the town of Kempton Park on the East Rand. It replaced Palmietfontein International Airport, which had handled European flights since 1945.In 1943, a decision was made by the Cabinet of the Union of South Africa to construct three international airports with a Civil Airports Advisory Committee formed to investigate and report on the viability. That report was submitted to the Cabinet in March 1944 with one main international airport on the Witwatersrand and two smaller international airports at Cape Town and Durban. The South African Railways and Harbours Administration was given the role of managing the project and later in 1944, a member went to the United States to study standards and methods of construction. Four possible sites around Johannesburg were identified, with one south of Johannesburg chosen but soon discarded due to being situated on land with gold bearing reefs below. Sites were then narrowed down to Kempton Park and the existing airport at Palmietfontein.In the late 1950s, jet passenger aircraft became the norm and there was a need to expand the existing ground facilities at the airport, which began in the 1960s and early-1970s. In addition to the new airside facilities, ground developments included: improved road access, parking areas, hotel, retail areas and car hire.The late-1960s saw a new choice of aircraft for South African Airways, the Boeing 747. A decision was made by the Minister of Transport to obtain three, later five 747s for the airline. Delivery would begin in October 1971 with the first flight to London on 10 December 1971 with daily services from February 1972. These purchases however required new hangar facilities with the contract awarded in September 1969. Construction started in December 1968 and was completed in October 1971. Other new buildings such as workshops, testing facilities, stores, staff accommodation and air cargo handling building were built. The new hangar would allow for two 747s in each bay with dimensions of 73.2m wide, 24.4m high and a depth of 91.4m.It was used as a test airport for Concorde during the 1970s, to determine how the aircraft would perform while taking off and landing at high elevations known as 'hot and high' testing. During the 1980s, many countries stopped trading with South Africa because of the United Nation sanctions imposed against South Africa in the struggle against apartheid, and many international airlines stopped flying to the airport. These sanctions also resulted in South African Airways being refused rights to fly over most African countries, and in addition, the risk of flying over some African countries was emphasised by the shooting down of two passenger aircraft over Rhodesia such as the Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and 827, forcing them to fly around the "bulge" of Africa.