Major airport in South Africa getting an ‘international’ upgrade

A massive expansion of the Cape Winelands Airport is currently in the works, with plans to host local and international flights.

The airport was previously known as Fisantekraal Airfield and was constructed as an operational base for the South African Air Force.

The site is roughly 13 kilometres northeast of Durbanville, Cape Town.

The airport transitioned into private ownership in 1993 where it was held for 27 years before being acquired by new private investors in late 2020 and renamed Cape Winelands Airport.

It is now owned and operated by RSA.Aero.

Currently, the Cape Winelands Airport acts as a general aviation facility and is a popular choice for flight training in the Cape Town vicinity.

Many institutions use the airport for circuit and emergency response training. Private and corporate aircraft will also occasionally utilise the airport for passenger transport.

The airport is now set for a R7 billion redevelopment and expansion plan, which will create an international commercial airport.

The first step of the process is to expand and realign the primary runway to 3,500m from its current 900m.

There are also plans to build a passenger terminal that can accommodate 5.2 million annual passengers, with the core goal of establishing a cohesive link with Cape Town.

Construction on expanding the airport is expected to start early this year, dependent on regulatory approvals.

The aim is to commission the expanded airport and open it to local and international flights in 2027.

The airport aims to offer the following features:

1. Scheduled Airline Services for domestic and international passenger and cargo operations.
2. General Aviation for domestic and international, unscheduled and private operations.
3. Alternate Airport for fuel planning purposes and environmental savings.
4. Reliever Airport, adding redundancy and diversion capability for aircraft in the region.
5. Logistics Hub catalysing multi-modal commercial activity in the region and stimulating economic growth.
6. Commercial Property Developments stimulated and enabled by the above.

The airport received a boost in October 2024 after its final Scoping Report and the Plan of Study for the proposed expansion was formally accepted by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

This market is a significant milestone in the airport’s planned development programme allowing it to progress the Impact Assessment Phase of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

“The EIA is a crucial piece of the puzzle, and the acceptance of the final scoping report is key to the next phase of this project,” said Deidre Davids, spokesperson for Cape Winelands Airport.

“This acceptance affirms that we are taking the right steps to ensure the development is both environmentally sustainable and aligned with our long-term vision for the airport.”

With the acceptance of the scoping report, the EIA moved onto a more detailed impact phase, which includes over 17 specialist studies that look at noise, socio-economic impacts, transport, climate considerations and more.

Space for two

The airport also won’t face any hurdles with Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), who believe that a new large-scale airport won’t be a threat to Cape Town International Airport.

As reported by IOL, ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu said that two larger airports can operate and co-exist together. She added that it is hoped that the airports could complement each other.

Moreover, it is not within ACSA’s mandate to decide whether another airport should operate in South Africa.

She noted that the Department of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority are the regulatory bodies that determine if an additional airport is required in an area.

The Cape Winelands Airport is also hoping that it can benefit from regulations that dictate that every departing flight is required to designate an alternate airport for reserve fuel planning.

Alongside Cape Town International Airport, the Cape Winelands hopes to be an alternate airport for reserve fuel planning for the airlines, which will result in cost savings for airlines and reduced fuel uplift.