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 ( ' 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 to this , the risk of flying over some African countries was emphasised by the shooting down of two passenger aircraft over Rhodesia ( e.g. Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and 827 ) , forcing them to fly around the " bulge " of Africa . This required specially-modified aircraft like the long-range Boeing 747SP . A second runway was built at the airport in the late-1980s
Air Rhodesia Flight 825
Air Rhodesia Flight 825
O. R. Tambo International Airport