Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced that from March boarding calls for domestic and international departures will no longer be made throughout Cape Town International Airport.
Only limited boarding announcements will be made at international departure boarding gates.
Go deeper with GlobalData
ACSA operates Cape Town International Airport.
Cape Town International Airport spokesperson Deidre Davids said: “As Cape Town International Airport, we have noted the feedback from passengers in independent customer surveys citing complaints about noise levels in airports.
“In keeping with global trends and the aviation’s move toward passengers being increasingly self-sufficient we are adopting the global trend of silent airports. The obvious benefit of a silent airport is reduced noise, which has been an issue of contention for our passengers.”
The public-address microphones at the airport’s domestic and international departures terminal and gates will be switched off from 1 March.
With regard to boarding times, gates and any other changes, passengers will be advised to check their boarding passes and the flight information display boards.
A silent airport policy has been implemented at airports worldwide in a bid to enhance the airport’s ambience and decrease complaints about the number of calls for individual passengers to board their flights.
As per the standard operating procedures, passengers of most domestic flights need to start boarding at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. International travellers will need to board one hour before their flight sets off.
Centralised terminal announcements will only be made for important updates, including gate and time changes, security, and system failures.
