Terminal C is not signed anywhere in O. R. Tambo
Airport maps for Johannesburg list terminals A and B, plus concourses D and E, but nothing in the public-facing layout uses the label “Terminal C.” If your ticket or company travel system says Terminal C at JNB, assume it means a section of the main integrated building, not a separate structure with its own check-in or security zone.
O. R. Tambo runs as one large complex that groups functions by level: domestic departures usually use Terminal B on the upper level, and international departures use Terminal A and the D/E concourses on similar upper floors. Because of this stacked design, older or internal references sometimes call intermediate levels or office sections “C,” even though current signage in the halls, escalators, and lifts talks only about A, B, D, and E.
Most airlines at JNB publish their check-in desks as A or B, and the official airport site’s map highlights baggage reclaim, immigration, and customs zones tied to those two names only. If your itinerary prints “Terminal C,” go by the airline’s own email or app for check-in counter numbers and follow on-site boards that list carriers by name, not by terminal letter.
Security and immigration checkpoints at JNB sit on the departures levels serving A/B on one side and D/E on the other, and there is no extra screening point marked C anywhere on official diagrams. You walk between these areas in a few minutes inside the same building, so a label like “C” on a booking usually won’t change your walking route, your security line, or the time you need to connect.
Lounges at this airport cluster near international gates in concourses D and E and near domestic gates off Terminal B, and none of the current lounge lists from the airport or major networks mention Terminal C by name. If your lounge pass or card says JNB Terminal C, match it to the operator’s actual location description instead, for example “International departures, airside, near Gate D6” or “Domestic, airside, above Gate B20.”
Retail and dining at JNB spread along the airside corridors feeding the D and E gates and the domestic piers off B, and the airport’s own directory groups these outlets by concourse or by level, never by C. Expect to see branding like “International airside – Level 2” or “Domestic departures – Terminal B” printed on receipts and overhead signs, but not C-level references when you are walking past restaurants and shops.
Arrivals halls at JNB tie directly to A and B for baggage belts and customs, and signage after passport control points you to specific carousels and exits under those two letters. If a driver or transfer service messages you to meet them at Terminal C, reply with your flight number and say you will come out at the A or B public arrivals area that corresponds to your airline on the live arrivals board.
Practical tip: if “Terminal C” appears anywhere on your paperwork for O. R. Tambo, treat it as outdated shorthand, follow the airport’s current A/B/D/E signs, and lean on your airline’s check-in counter and gate numbers as the source of truth once you are on the ground in Johannesburg.