Juba International Airport: When Push Comes to Shove, Only the Strong Survives
6 min readGame of the Strong: Whoever has Physical Strength Gets in First for Check-in at Juba International Airport
By Marko Madut Garang, Juba, South Sudan
“As I write this opinion article, I am full of different emotions and bad feelings so I haven’t concentrated but I thought it will be good to speak to the public so that my feelings come down.”
July 7, 2015 (SSB) — As we count down to the 4th anniversary of South Sudan Independence, many South Sudanese citizens including foreign nationals continue to suffer in their various capacities and Juba International Airport is one of the institutions which is proving to be a temporary “hell on earth” because the principle applied there is that “whoever has physical strength gets in first for check-in.”
Today July 7th, I saw three women falling down as a result of pushing by the strongest to get inside the domestic terminal for check-in. This tradition tells that if you are a woman,an elderly person, sick, child etc. Then your life is at risk of getting killed as a result of a pandemonium at JIA. You may need to think twice whether you want to travel or not.The situation is not improving instead it continues to rise like the demand of dollar or commodities in the market.
My question is: who is doing this torture to the South Sudanese people? I have tried twice to approach some staff working in the airport to bring this concern to their attention but I got strange answers such as: we have reported the issue to the Director of Airport; or others talked to the Minister of Roads, Bridges and Transport but no response.
Some even smile and say: sorry man or brother, we are finishing the main terminal and you will soon enjoy enough space! I also bounced into laughter: “what? Just be calm do not talk because the new airport terminal is finishing soon.”
There are other avenues and things that can be done to resolve this problem without necessarily waiting for the main building to get finished then people enjoy or celebrate. In other places, airport extensions are done and it does not bring congestion in the airport like when Jomo Kenyatta International Airport caught fire, the construction and renovation was ongoing yet the passengers were not made to suffer.
Why do we always need to complicate things and push them to long term solutions rather seeking short term solutions? It is in the church where we proclaim the mysterious that we do not understand by saying: “Christ has died, Christ is risen and Christ will come again.” Is this what they are trying to tell us in the airport?
There are number of factors contributing to the confusion and congestion in the airport. One is due to lack of coordination among various authorities within the airport, for instance:
- The number of cartons,boxes, spare tyres etc. which can be taken separately as cargo are taken inside as luggage. These items which are meant for cargo are being checked in as luggage for passengers.These items fill spaces and leaves no way for passengers to pass unless they push each other, quarrel and abuse themselves bitterly.Can they not be taken as cargo? Who has the authority over these airlines doing this business? How can this mismanagement be connected to the construction of the terminal? If we don’t change this attitude and behaviour of not having different arrangements for cargo and passengers, then we will surely take it to the new main terminal. We can still fly in cargo items and will still create congestion.
- There are these boys who act as brokers, porters and do plastic packaging. Their number is increasing and they are the ones hired by vulnerable people like women,the elderly etc. to carry their items inside because they have no options since they cannot get in as there is a messy queue where only the strong gets inside for check-in. if there is no indication showing that you can get in, one waits and risk being left behind.
- No one is responsible for creating order in the airport which means, you can take between one to two hours to get in so that you complete all the process of check in.
- No one cares whether you suffocate or fall down and even some of these concerns are not discussed neither shared by the administration of the airport. It is like the authorities want to tell us that it is up to us to suffer no one cares because it is not their priority now. We only wait for the completion of the airport or don’t travel!
I have following suggestions as a short term solutions:
- Let the domestic flights be scheduled different times to avoid everyone coming in the morning and pack inside waiting to leave at the same time. This will reduce the congestion in the airport
- Some flights can even be grounded at night in Wau, Awiel, Rumbek, Yambio etc. and come to Juba at different times in the morning. It is not the wish of the airlines that we serve but the safety and protection of our citizens should be put as the first interest. These companies are making money which brings incomes to the government but our rights as citizens should not be exploited in the interest of their income.
- Use manual system for check in especially for domestic flights to avoid congestion at the weighing machine because it is one of the areas things gets stuck.
Finally, I know many passengers are experiencing the same misery and know what I am talking about. I felt that I wanted to raise this issue to the concerned authorities because I believe that they don’t know what is happening since they use the “VIP Lounge”when they are traveling but if they know and they are not taking action about the issue then this is a great concern that needs to be looked into at different angles.
My massage is to the airport authorities to look for short term solutions while we wait for main terminal to finish though I see it is not a good justification for the congestion at the domestic terminal. Let the airport separate and arrange for passengers’ luggage and the cargo which I believe are the main sources of congestion and confusion.
Let these items be taken in as cargo and ban them from accessing the domestic terminal entrance which is meant for passengers only and not the cargo. Let’s schedule different times for different flights especially the domestic flights traveling out of Juba to the states.
I wish all the South Sudanese people for the celebration of the 4th Anniversary of Independence on July 9th, 2015!
The writer of this opinion is a concern citizen who witnesses women being pushed to fall down for the second time in Juba International airport. He can be reached at: madut.garang@gmail.com.
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