King Shaka International Airport is going silent

The Airports Company South Africa has announced that King Shaka International would join the list of airports that would no longer be making passenger boarding calls in the domestic departure check-in areas and at boarding gates.

King Shaka International Airport spokesman Colin Naidoo said: “The objective is not only to minimise background noise but also the sense of hurry at the terminal by reducing the number of announcements.”

Naidoo said as from 1 July‚ passengers would no longer hear public addresses at domestic departure gates and the use of the public address microphone would be limited at the international departure gates.

However‚ announcements regarding gate changes‚ flight time changes‚ security matters‚ system failures‚ emergencies and customer service issues‚ such as lost minors‚ will still be made.

Naidoo said the move would allow the airport to reduce its noise footprint and adopt global standards. He urged passengers to be more aware of their flight times and other details.

“Passengers should check their boarding passes and the flight information display boards for boarding times‚ gates and any other changes.”

King Shaka joins a list of silent South African airports‚ which include Cape Town International‚ East London Airport and George Airport.