Cape Town International Airport Guide

Cape Town International Airport sits roughly 20 kilometres east of the Cape Town city centre, connected via the N2 highway. Opened in 1954 on the Cape Flats, it replaced Wingfield Aerodrome as the city's primary commercial facility. The airport is the second-busiest in South Africa and handled over 10.4 million passengers in 2024, a record at the time.

The terminal building is divided into a domestic side on the south and an international side on the north, with a shared Central Terminal Building containing 120 check-in desks. Two runways serve the airport: the primary at 3,201 metres and a shorter crosswind runway at 1,701 metres. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) owns and operates the facility.

Major long-haul carriers include Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Qatar Airways, and United Airlines. South African Airways connects Cape Town to Johannesburg and international destinations. FlySafair and Airlink dominate domestic routes. A R21.7 billion expansion programme approved for construction starting 2025 will upgrade both terminals to support projected growth past 20 million annual passengers.