Cape Town’s booming aviation market is running up against capacity constraints, prompting major investment in airport infrastructure that should expand the Western Cape’s ability to accommodate future air traffic.
ACSA has acknowledged growing pressure at Cape Town International Airport (CPT), where terminal expansion and a planned runway realignment are intended to ease passenger and aircraft congestion. At the same time, the development of Cape Winelands Airport is set to add a second commercial airport capable of handling domestic, regional and international traffic.
During the presentation of ACSA’s annual results, Acting CEO Charles Shilowa told Travel News that rising passenger and flight numbers were putting pressure on Cape Town International’s infrastructure, particularly during peak periods, creating terminal congestion and limited aircraft slot availability.
To address passenger congestion, ACSA plans to expand the domestic arrivals terminal and upgrade the international terminal. Shilowa also indicated that shorter-term measures were being considered, although he did not provide details.
Longer term, the planned runway realignment could increase the airport’s aircraft-handling capacity.
According to Linden Birns, MD of PlaneTalking, the airport’s aircraft congestion is related to the runway infrastructure, air traffic movement and airspace management.
“This airspace management is impacted by the current alignment of the runway and the obstacles in its path for arriving and departing flights. By realigning the runway, they will negate the impact of the obstacles, potentially allowing them to accommodate more traffic in the airspace and increase the number of aircraft movements per hour,” explained Birns.
CPT demand
ACSA data revealed that while its other airports were edging towards their pre-COVID traffic levels, Cape Town International had exceeded its 2019 aircraft and passenger traffic numbers due to its growing popularity as a destination.
Aviation experts previously told Travel News that, due to successful destination marketing, Cape Town International had attracted more direct international flights and regional flights since the pandemic.
Amid this increased popularity, the airport is strained as the largest airport in the province, but Cape Winelands is expected to offer additional capacity for international, regional and domestic flights.
“Cape Winelands Airport is being developed to provide additional aviation capacity for the Western Cape, rather than simply as an overflow facility for Cape Town International Airport,” a Cape Winelands Spokesperson told Travel News.
“Cape Town is a growing tourism, business and investment destination, and additional aviation infrastructure will be important to supporting that growth. While Cape Winelands will provide additional capacity that can help alleviate constraints at Cape Town International, our ambition is broader: to stimulate new connectivity and open up unserved and underserved markets.”
According to Cape Winelands’ current traffic forecasts, Cape Town International Airport could see passenger volumes in the region of 20 million passengers annually by 2050, while Cape Winelands is anticipated to serve approximately 5,2 million passengers a year by that point.
“Given the continued growth and attractiveness of Cape Town as a tourism destination, there are already indications that demand could exceed our initial forecasts,” said the spokesperson.
“We therefore see Cape Winelands as complementary to Cape Town International, adding capacity and connectivity to the region rather than simply redistributing existing passenger volumes.”
The vision for Cape Winelands
Cape Winelands is being developed as a full commercial airport, with the capacity to serve domestic and international as well as private, corporate and charter aviation markets.
“We have applied for an international airport licence, reflecting our intention to connect the Western Cape not only with regional destinations but also with international markets. A key focus will be on identifying and developing unserved and underserved routes and markets,” said the spokesperson.
“The additional aviation infrastructure delivered by the airport has the potential not only to respond to existing capacity constraints, but also to stimulate further growth in the Western Cape's aviation and tourism market.”
Subject to the completion of funding, design, regulatory and construction-readiness milestones, the airport is expected to break ground in 2027 and aspires to welcome its first commercial passenger flights in 2029.
