Cape Town International Airport | |||
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A satellite image of Cape Town International Airport | |||
IATA: CPT – ICAO: FACT | |||
Summary | |||
Airport type | Public | ||
Operator | Airports Company South Africa | ||
Location | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
Elevation AMSL | 46 m / 151 ft | ||
Website | |||
Runways | |||
Direction | Length | Surface | |
m | ft | ||
01/19 | 3,201 | 10,502 | Asphalt |
16/34 | 1,701 | 5,581 | Asphalt |
Statistics (2008-2009) | |||
Passenger traffic | 7,813,170 | ||
Aircraft movements | 95,643 | ||
Airport capacity (2010) | 14.5 million p.a. | ||
Source: Airports Company South Africa[1][2] |
Cape Town International Airport is the primary airport serving the city of Cape Town, and is the second busiest airport in South Africa and third busiest in Africa. Located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city centre, the airport was opened in 1954 to replace Cape Town's previous airport in the suburb of Wingfield. Cape Town International Airport is the only airport in the Cape Town metropolitan area that offers scheduled passenger services.
The airport has direct flights from South Africa's other two main urban areas, Johannesburg and Durban, as well as flights to smaller centres in South Africa. Internationally, it has direct flights to several destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The air route between Cape Town and Johannesburg was the world's fifth busiest air route in 2007 as well as the busiest in Africa, with the air route between Cape Town and Durban being the fifth busiest in Africa.[3]
In 2009, Cape Town International Airport received the Skytrax award for the best airport in Africa.[4] The airport has domestic and international terminals, linked by a common central terminal.
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Cape Town International Airport was opened in 1954, a year after Jan Smuts Airport (now OR Tambo International Airport) on the Witwatersrand opened. The airport replaced Cape Town's previous airport, located at Wingfield. Originally called D.F. Malan Airport after the then South African prime minister, it initially offered two international flights: a direct flight to Britain and a second flight to Britain via Johannesburg.[5]
With the fall of apartheid in the early 1990s, ownership of the airport was transferred from the state to the newly-formed Airports Company South Africa,[6] and the airport was renamed to the politically-neutral Cape Town International Airport.[7] The first years of the twenty-first century saw tremendous growth at the airport; from handling 6.2 million passengers per annum in 2004-05, the airport peaked at 8.4 million passengers per annum in 2007-08 before falling back to 7.8 million in 2008-09.[1]
In preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cape Town International Airport was extensively expanded and renovated. The main focus was the development of a Central Terminal Building at a cost of R1.6 billion,[8] which linked the formerly separate domestic and international terminals and provided a common check-in area.[9] The departures level of the Central Terminal opened in November 2009, with the entire building expected to be open in March 2010.[8]
The terminal building has a split-level design, with departures located in the upper floors and arrivals in the lower floors; an elevated roadway system provides vehicular access to both departures and arrivals levels.[9] All check-in takes place within the Central Terminal Building, which contains 120 check-in desks and 20 self-service kiosks.[9] Passengers then pass through a consolidated security screening area before dividing, with international passengers heading north towards the international terminal (which contains immigration facilities), and domestic passengers heading south towards the domestic terminal.
The terminal contains 10 air bridges, evenly split between domestic and international usage. Sections of lower levels of the domestic and international terminals are used for transporting passengers via bus to and from remotely-parked aircraft.[9]
Arrivals are handled in the old sections of their respective terminals. Currently, arrivals are being redeveloped to utilise the new Central Terminal Building, with the new arrivals hall scheduled to open in March 2010.[8] The terminal contains an automated baggage handling system, capable of handling 30,000 bags per hour.[9]
Retail within the terminal building is located on the upper level above the departures level, which includes what is purported to be the largest Spur restaurant on the African continent, at 1,080 m2 (11,600 sq ft).[9] The terminal also has a viewing deck, located on the upper level.
In 2009, Cape Town International Airport was the recipient of the Skytrax "Best Airport in Africa" award, coming ahead of Durban International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport.[4]
The following airlines operate scheduled flights to Cape Town International Airport:
Airlines | Destinations | Type |
---|---|---|
1Time | Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth | Domestic |
Air Berlin | Munich [seasonal] | International |
Air Mauritius | Mauritius | International |
Air Namibia | Luderitz, Oranjemund, Walvis Bay, Windhoek-Eros, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako | International |
Airlink | George, Kimberley, Nelspruit-Kruger Mpumalanga, Upington | Domestic |
British Airways | London-Heathrow | International |
British Airways operated by Comair | Durban, Johannesburg | Domestic |
Emirates | Dubai | International |
Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | International |
Interlink Airlines | Pretoria-Wonderboom | Domestic |
Lufthansa | Frankfurt [seasonal] | International |
KLM | Amsterdam | International |
Kulula.com | Durban, Johannesburg, Lanseria, Port Elizabeth | Domestic |
Malaysia Airlines | Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Kuala Lumpur | International |
Mango | Bloemfontein, Durban, Johannesburg | Domestic |
Qatar Airways | Doha | International |
Singapore Airlines | Singapore | International |
South African Airways | Durban, Johannesburg | Domestic |
South African Airways | London-Heathrow | International |
South African Express | Bloemfontein, East London, Port Elizabeth | Domestic |
South African Express | Maputo, Walvis Bay, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako | International |
TAAG Angola Airlines | Luanda | International |
Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk | International |
Virgin Atlantic Airways | London-Heathrow [seasonal] | International |
The only hotel located within the airport precinct is the budget Road Lodge, owned by the City Lodge hotel chain group. An ExecuJet facility is located near the southern end of the main runway, and caters for business jets.
Cape Town International Airport recorded 7.8 million passengers in 2008-2009, down from 8.4 million passengers the year before. Of those passengers, 1.4 million were international and 6.3 million domestic, with the remainder being classified as "regional" or "unscheduled". 95,643 aircraft traffic movements were recorded; the majority being domestic services. The statistics firmly entrench Cape Town International Airport as being the second busiest airport in South Africa, behind OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and ahead of Durban International Airport.[10]
Year | International | Regional | Domestic | Unscheduled | Total | |||||
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Passenger movements | % Change | Passenger movements | % Change | Passenger movements | % Change | Passenger movements | % Change | Passenger movements | % Change | |
2004-05 | 1,176,958 | no data | 126,837 | no data | 4,895,048 | no data | 16,060 | no data | 6,214,903 | no data |
2005-06 | 1,167,661 | ![]() |
149,489 | ![]() |
5,503,690 | ![]() |
13,333 | ![]() |
6,834,173 | ![]() |
2006-07 | 1,246,016 | ![]() |
147,885 | ![]() |
6,107,405 | ![]() |
17,237 | ![]() |
7,518,543 | ![]() |
2007-08 | 1,309,822 | ![]() |
145,858 | ![]() |
6,950,061 | ![]() |
20,877 | ![]() |
8,426,618 | ![]() |
2008-09 | 1,378,160 | ![]() |
138,000 | ![]() |
6,283,132 | ![]() |
13,878 | ![]() |
7,813,170 | ![]() |
Year | International | Regional | Domestic | Unscheduled | Total | |||||
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Aircraft movements | % Change | Aircraft movements | % Change | Aircraft movements | % Change | Aircraft movements | % Change | Aircraft movements | % Change | |
2004-05 | 4,355 | no data | 4,242 | no data | 56,810 | no data | 27,154 | no data | 92,561 | no data |
2005-06 | 4,296 | ![]() |
4,169 | ![]() |
58,099 | ![]() |
22,326 | ![]() |
88,890 | ![]() |
2006-07 | 4,623 | ![]() |
3,698 | ![]() |
60,470 | ![]() |
22,602 | ![]() |
91,393 | ![]() |
2007-08 | 5,019 | ![]() |
3,420 | ![]() |
69,819 | ![]() |
24,027 | ![]() |
102,285 | ![]() |
2008-09 | 5,638 | ![]() |
3,340 | ![]() |
65,623 | ![]() |
21,042 | ![]() |
95,643 | ![]() |
Cape Town International Airport is approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city centre and is accessible from the N2 freeway, with Airport Approach Road providing a direct link between the N2 (at exit 16) and the airport. The airport can also be indirectly accessed from the R300 freeway via the M12, M10 and M22.
The airport provides approximately 1,424 parking bays in the general parking area, and 1,748 parking bays in the multi-storey parkade located near the domestic terminal.[11] A new parkade, which is located near the international terminal and which will provide an additional 4,000 bays upon completion, is under construction and is scheduled to be completed in March 2010.[12] The airport also offers a valet parking service.[11]
The MyCiTi bus rapid transit system provides a shuttle service connecting the airport with the Civic Centre bus station in the city centre. Buses depart every 20 minutes from 04:20 to 22:00.[13] Transport to and from the airport is also provided by metered taxis and various private shuttle companies.[7]
There is no direct rail access to Cape Town International Airport. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has proposed a 4 km (2.5 mi) rail link between the airport and Cape Town's existing suburban rail network; it is however unlikely that the rail link will be constructed before the 2011 completion of the Gautrain project in Gauteng.[14]
The following is an example of information required by aircrew to operate at this airport. Such information is usually found on approach plates and is also disseminated by means of NOTAMs (NOtices To AirMen) and other publications. All information is sourced from the South African Civil Aviation Authority.[20]
Type | Identification | Frequency |
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NDB | CB | 462.5 |
VOR/DME | CTV | 115.7 |
ILS LOC RWY 01 | CTI | 110.3 |
ILS LOC RWY 19 | KNI | 109.1 |
Apart from completion of the 2010 expansion project, it has been proposed that a second runway for large aircraft be constructed at Cape Town International Airport. An expected date for construction of the second runway has yet to be determined.[21]
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