Officials from the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape visited Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) on Thursday (4 April) to touch base on the airport’s future upgrade.
The airport has several key infrastructure projects planned over the next five years, with more than R7 billion in investment expected to take place over this period.
These upgrades 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;
- The new runway will allow the airport to increase its per hour landing and departures from 30 to 45 aircraft movements;
- It will allow the airport to handle the new generation large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-800 or the A380 aircrafts.
“(The upgrades) will ultimately facilitate greater air access into Cape Town and the Western Cape which is something that the City has been lobbying extensively on as it will enable growth of passenger and cargo traffic that is essential for tourism and economic activity,” said the Western Cape’s MEC for Development and Tourism, Beverley Schafer.
“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,” she said.
“The airport has seen constant growth over the past few years and this has placed immense pressure on the system, hence the expansion programme that is being implemented. Despite the challenges we are facing, we are still being recognised for our efforts.”
Construction is expected to start early next year, with the upgrades and expansions set to be completed by 2023.
