Cape Town International Airport was recently named the Best Airport in Africa at the 2019 Skytrax World Awards, making it the fourth consecutive year that the airport has been awarded the title.
The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, said in a statement, ‘I would like to congratulate the Chief Executive Officer of the airport, Deon Cloete, and his team on their fine achievement for the fourth year in a row. You have developed a winning formula that is being recognised globally for service excellence in the industry.’
Cape town International. Image source: Airports Company South Africa/ Flickr
He continued, ‘[The] Airport City contributed R4.7-billion to South Africa’s economy. It made a R2-billion contribution to the income of South African and Cape Town workers and supported 43,608 direct and indirect jobs in South Africa.’
The airport has several key infrastructure projects planned over the next five years.
These upgrades will see a R7-billion investment over this period and will include:
- The refurbishment of the domestic arrivals terminal
- The expansion of the international terminal
- A new realigned runway worth R3.93-billion which will achieve the runway realignment that will in the future allow for the expansion of the terminals. This will allow the airport to increase its per hour landing and departures from 30 to 45 aircraft movements and allow the airport to handle the new generation large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-800 or the A380 aircrafts.
It will ultimately facilitate greater air access into Cape Town and the Western Cape, something that the City has been lobbying for extensively as it will enable growth of passenger and cargo traffic essential for tourism and economic activity.
‘This project will unlock the full potential of our aviation economy by connecting Cape Town with many more countries, resulting in additional trade and investment opportunities. It will drive demand that makes business sense.
‘Tourism is one of the economic engine rooms of this province and it is responsible for the creation of thousands of jobs both in the city and in the province’s rural areas. The new airport development project will contribute towards growing this important sector through increased connectivity and tourist numbers. It will also improve on the world-class and award-winning offering that visitors already receive when they travel through Cape Town International Airport,’ said Western Cape Economic Opportunities MEC Beverly Schafer.
Image source: Airports Company South Africa
