Top university in South Africa partners with new R8 billion airport
The Cape Winelands Airport has partnered with Stellenbosch University ahead of its R8 billion expansion
The airport and university have agreed to collaborate on a broad range of issues, including agriculture and food processing, spatial planning, transport and logistics, and space and aviation research.
The parties are also looking at ways to align academic research, industry expertise, and infrastructure development.
The collaboration aligns with the planned expansion of Cape Winelands Airport, estimated to cost approximately R8 billion.
“It is anticipated that the airport expansion will transform the airport into a significant economic hub over the coming years,” the parties said,
“The scale and long-term nature of the project present a unique platform for practical learning, applied research, innovation, and industry collaboration across multiple disciplines.”
Engineering collaboration is expected to play a central role in the partnership, with opportunities for technical cooperation, infrastructure and operations.
Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, said that the project has the ability to unlock economic growth and support emerging industries.
The Cape Winelands Airport project offers an opportunity to build a dynamic ecosystem that can unlock economic growth, support emerging industries, and position the region as a hub of innovation and opportunity,” said Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University.
“The airport expansion presents a unique long-term opportunity to connect academia and industry in a way that creates meaningful economic and educational impact,” added Deon Cloete, Managing Director for Cape Winelands Airport
The initial areas of potential collaboration include building student capacity via applied research opportunities linked to the airport’s development and operational environment.
This can include research projects for master’s students within the university’s engineering programme. The partnership will also look to explore further opportunities to build testing facilities and spaces.
Beyond aviation, the airport is expected to become a driver of regional economic development and job creation in the Western Cape.
Projections indicate that the development could sustain approximately 35,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction and expansion.
Plans taking off
The Cape Winelands Airport was initially built in 1943 and served as an operational base for the South African Air Force.
It was called Fisantekraal Airfield. It became privately owned in 1993. In 2020, private investors, RSA Aero, acquired the airport’s property.
In recent years, the airport has unveiled grand plans for a huge redevelopment to turn the property into an international commercial airport.
The airport has also partnered with the JSE’s largest REIT, Growthpoint, which will co-develop and manage the 450-hectare mixed-use aviation precinct.
Growthpoint said that construction is expected to start later in 2026, subject to approvals, with commissioning of the first phase targeted for 2028.
The REIT noted that the project has cleared several milestones in recent months, including final environmental authorisation, the largest hurdle to date, which took five years to acquire.
The airport has also been awarded Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) 17 status by Infrastructure South Africa, meaning that all organs of state must prioritise its approvals and licenses.
Images of the Cape Winelands Airport
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