Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport opened in 1954, replacing Wingfield Aerodrome, originally named D.F. Malan after the then, South African Prime Minister. With the fall of Apartheid in the early 1990's, the Airport came under the control of the newly formed Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and along with this, it was officially renamed as Cape Town International Airport.

Rapid growth ensued as post-Apartheid Trade and Tourism flourished peaking at 8.4 million passengers per Year in 2004/2005 and the Airport underwent a major upgrade in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Separate International and Domestic terminals were rebuilt but separated by a common Central Terminal. This was used to handle all flight check-ins at a cost of R 1.6 billion. The Airport has since undergone further extensions to increase Domestic and International Arrivals and Departures, Amenities as well as Parking. The expected date of completion for these renovations to Cape Town Airport is 2022! (The Airport’s revamp, has certainly not gone unnoticed – it won second place in the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality Awards (ACI-ASQ Awards) for the Middle East and Africa in 2006, 2007 and 2013 and placed third in 2008 and 2016. This is no small feat, since it meant beating out notable Middle Eastern heavyweights such as Dubai International Airport!) Cape Town Airport’s best performance came in 2010 to 2013 when it placed first for four Years, consecutively.

Most impressive of all was the achievement this Airport has placed in the top five in all Years barring one since the inception of the Awards. The Airport features high-tech processing, security that exceeds International standards, World-Class duty-free shopping, a number of fast casual dining Restaurants, and all the regular amenities such as Mobile Phone Kiosks and Forex Exchange outlets that you’d expect as a traveler.

The Airport is about 20 km from the City Centre, Foreshore and V&A Waterfront. This is where most of the Tourist Accommodation, activity hubs and Business bubbles are located. Facilities at all airports in South Africa, including at Cape Town International Airport, are compliant with minimum standards required by travelers who have disabilities.

Cape Town International Airport is Home to almost 3 800 000 departing passengers and 45 654 incoming air traffic movements. The passenger count has increased each Year, as more flight Routes and direct connections have been added. An even more expansive Runway is under construction so as to accommodate the newest mammoth; multi-seat and-storey aircraft, that are now increasingly being commissioned and used for air passenger travel. It is expected that air traffic and the number of airlines at this aerial hub will increase substantially once this new Runway is officially declared open. Which has now happened, (refer to article in Further Reading). The Airport is already extremely busy though – in fact, one of the Local Routes, Cape Town to Johannesburg, is rated the ninth busiest in the World!