OR Tambo International Airport - Hotels and Information
Interactive Map of OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa
OR Tambo International Airport
OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) in Johannesburg is the air transport hub of Southern Africa, catering for more than 17 million passengers each year. With more than 18,000 people employed by various companies at ORTIA, the airport plays a vital role in the city's and Gauteng province's economy, and boasts an impressive infrastructure that has expanded by thousands of square metres from its modest origins.
OR Tambo is one of the few airports in the world that has direct flights to all 6 inhabited continents; and plays a vital role in serving the local, regional, intra- and inter-continental air transport needs of South Africa. It is the biggest and busiest airport in Africa.
The airport underwent a R3 billion overhaul in preparation for the FIFA World Cup that took place in South Africa during 2010.
Hotels
There are many hotel options for those wishing to stay at or near the airport. There are 3 hotels located at the airport and 4 more hotels located at Emperors Palace Resort and Casino, which is a 5-minute shuttle bus ride away.
Our detailed maps will give you precise hotel locations for the Airport and Emperors Palace hotels - see links below:-
• Map of OR Tambo Terminals and Hotels
• Map of Emperors Palace Resort and Hotels
Flights from The USA
Situated almost 1,700 metres (5,500 feet) above mean sea level, the air at OR Tambo is thin. This has implications for the performance of aircraft at altitude. For example, South African Airways (SAA) flights from Johannesburg to Washington, D.C., currently operated with an Airbus A340-600, once had to stop in Dakar International Airport in Senegal for refuelling, since the aircraft was not able to make the run on one fuel fill. This is because of decreased performance on take-off from the airport, where an aircraft cannot take off fully laden with fuel, cargo, and passengers, and must use a longer stretch of runway to reach take-off velocity.
By contrast, through April 2009, the return leg of the flight from Washington to Johannesburg was a non-stop 15-hour flight, with better performance of the aircraft at Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington where the airport is 95 meters (313 feet) above sea level. Recent improvements now allow the A340-600 to make this run non-stop in both directions, but because SAA sees a market in West Africa, all flights between Johannesburg and Washington now go through Dakar, even in the US-to-South Africa direction.
Today, SAA offers non-stop flights in both directions between Johannesburg and New York City with the A340-600, and Delta offers the same service between Johannesburg and Atlanta using the Boeing 777-200LR. Both routes are slightly longer than Johannesburg–Washington. All three flights are (or were) among the longest commercial non-stop flights in the world.
History of the Airport
In October 2006 the country's flagship airport, then called Johannesburg International Airport (and before that as Jan Smuts International Airport) was renamed as a tribute to one of the new South Africa's most important founding fathers.
Oliver Reginald Tambo, fondly known as O.R. by his peers, is renowned in South Africa and abroad for his significant contribution to the liberation of South Africa. He was president of the African National Congress (ANC) for 30 years and spent much of this time in exile, mobilizing international support for the ANC and opposition to the apartheid movement.
Gautrain
Johannesburg's recently constructed rapid-rail transport system - The Gautrain - is the first of its kind in Africa.
In June 2010 the R24 billion Gautrain took to the rails for the first time, offering safe, reliable and comfortable public transport. This state-of-the-art rapid rail network comprises of two links: a link between Pretoria and Johannesburg and a link between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton.
A transit terminal has been built between the domestic and international terminals which houses the Gautrain station linking the airport to Sandton.
The Gautrain system operates with two train services:
1. Airport Service - Links Sandton to the OR Tambo International Airport at a cost of R100 per single trip. All airport trains go via the Sandton station.
2. Commuter Service - Links all the stations with the exception of the airport at various different costs.
Travelling at speeds of 160 to 180 kilometers per hour, you can reach Pretoria from Johannesburg in just 40 minutes and from Sandton to the airport in only 15 minutes.
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