Airport Guide

History of Cape Town International Airport

While it may now be the third-busiest airport on the entire African continent, Cape Town International had humble beginnings.

Founded in 1954 as DF Malan Airport after the-then prime minister, for several years it offered just two international flight options, namely direct to Britain or to Britain via Johannesburg.

While passenger numbers slowly but surely increased over the next few decades, it wasn't until the fall of the apartheid system that the airport really took off.

Given its present name so as to avoid any charges of political bias and privatised, the airport benefitted from major investment over the 1990s and first few years of the new millennium.

This helped it cope with a major surge in passenger numbers, which hit six million in 2004 and then climbed further still to 7.8 million in 2009.

The 2010 World Cup prompted further growth, with the airport expanded and renovated, most notably with the introduction of the state-of-the-art Central terminal linking the domestic and international terminals.

Travelling to Cape Town International Airport

Situated some 12 miles from the heart of Cape Town, the international airport is well-served by local transport links.

For those passengers opting for public transport, regular shuttle buses link the terminal buildings and downtown Cape Town, with the Integrated Transport System rolled out for the World Cup boosting efficiency.

At present, however, while plans have been mooted to connect the airport to the Cape Town suburban rail system, they look unlikely to be completed anytime soon, leaving the shuttle buses as the only public transport option available to passengers.

As well as the buses, excellent facilities are in place for passengers either driving their own cars to and from the airport or making use of hire cars, with a multi-storey car park located next to the domestic terminal and thousands of new spaces made available for the World Cup.

Additionally, taxis are always available to make the short trip along the N2 freeway to the heart of the bustling city.

Airlines Flying From Cape Town International

Around eight million passengers a year now fly in and out of Cape Town, taking advantage of numerous domestic and international services offered by both low-cost airlines and longer-established national carriers.

On the domestic front, 1Time flies to Durban, East London, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, while Air Link flies to George, Kimberley, Nelspruit-Kruger Mpumalanga and Upington and Interlink to Pretoria.

Other domestic flights are also offered by Kulula.com, Mango, South African Airways and South African Express, with the choice on offer helping to boost competition on the most popular routes and making bargain flights easily available.

Meanwhile, a number of international airlines also offer long-haul flights both elsewhere in Africa and to destinations outside of the continent.

Air Namibia flies to half a dozen destinations in its home country, while Air Seychelles flies to Mahe.

Meanwhile, flag carriers British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM fly to London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam respectively, Air Berlin flies to Munich, Emirates to Dubai and Etihad to Abu Dhabi.

Additionally, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines offer flights to the east, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and Virgin Atlantic to London.