While she could not confirm if any heads of state had stepped off planes and on to the tarmac, other VIPs and their entourages had passed through the corridors.

"High-profile people have already started coming in... We anticipate that there would be some spike [in numbers]."

Noruwana said the airport had reallocated resources to deal with the arrival of high-profile guests.

"We've got the influx of the heads of state as a start, and as a result of that there will be some necessary security measures put into place."

This fell under the control of the department of foreign affairs.

A processing facility had been set up to deal with scheduled flights, as well as private planes and "non-scheduled" flights.

Corporations and political parties had also set up tables to process their arrivals for Zuma's big day in Pretoria on Saturday.

However, while the airport was hotbed of excitement, the general public remained a priority.

"Our normal travelling public should not be affected because they are a priority, even though we have a special event taking place."

Other operations at the airport that would be affected were immigration and customs.

Noruwana said the airport normally saw between 50 000 and 60 000 visitors pass through its doors each day.

She was unable to say how large a peak was expected over the inauguration period.