O.R. Tambo International Airport Guide

O.R. Tambo International Airport is located in Kempton Park, Gauteng, roughly 22 km northeast of Johannesburg CBD and 46 km south of Pretoria. Situated at 1,700 metres above sea level, the high-altitude environment affects aircraft performance and requires longer take-off rolls. It is Africa's busiest airport and handles more than half of all air passengers travelling through South Africa.

The airport operates two parallel runways and a cluster of six terminals divided into international, domestic, regional, and private aviation functions. International departures and arrivals are split across Terminals A and B, while Terminals C and D serve full-service and low-cost domestic carriers respectively. Terminal E handles regional African routes, and Terminal F serves VIP and charter traffic. A Gautrain rapid-rail station at Terminal B connects the airport directly to Sandton and Johannesburg Park Station.

The airport opened commercially in 1953 as Jan Smuts International Airport, was renamed Johannesburg International Airport in 1994, and took its current name in 2006 after anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo. It is operated by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and serves as the primary hub for South African Airways and the main gateway for international services to Africa from carriers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.