Cape Winelands Airport to reshape Western Cape economy
By Adrian Ephraim
SOUTH AFRICA’s largest listed real estate investment trust has made a strategic bet on the Western Cape’s future – backing the Cape Winelands Airport development with an initial investment and long-term partnership rights that could reshape the region’s economy for generations.
Growthpoint Properties’ entry into the privately led airport project represents more than capital. It signals institutional confidence in a bold infrastructure play designed to address one of Cape Town’s biggest constraints: the city’s only viable expansion direction is northwards along the Cape Winelands corridor.
“The availability of industrial land in Cape Town has become very scarce, and that has driven up the price,” says Werner van Antwerpen, Growthpoint’s Head of Corporate Advisory. “Cape Town’s only viable expansion direction is northwards along the Cape Winelands corridor. This is already starting to happen.”
A R24 billion opportunity
Phase 1 alone – covering terminal buildings, a runway and a 450-hectare developable estate – requires an estimated R8 billion investment. The broader precinct, encompassing industrial, retail, office, logistics and hotel properties, is projected to cost an additional R16–20 billion over several years, bringing total development costs to as much as R28 billion.
It’s one of the largest private infrastructure investments in South Africa’s recent history. Growthpoint also holds the right of first refusal to co-invest in future property developments as they materialise.
The project’s multiplier effects are substantial: around 35,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction, scaling to over 100,000 over the first 20 years. By 2050, the airport is expected to serve more than five million passengers annually.
Built on strategy, not speculation
What sets the project apart is its focus on solving genuine capacity constraints. Nicholas Ferguson, Managing Director of RSA Aero – the airport’s owner and operator – says Cape Winelands Airport will add 110,000 tons of air-cargo capacity to the region, about 25% of all air cargo currently entering South Africa.
“More capacity means exporters and producers will have real choice, faster turnaround times, and lower costs to move goods to and from the Cape,” Ferguson explains.
Cape Town is also projected to receive 10 million additional passengers by 2050, and the new airport is expected to capture about a quarter of that growth. Rather than compete with Cape Town International Airport, Cape Winelands will expand the region’s aviation capacity at a time when the existing airport faces operational constraints.
The two airports will work in tandem. Cape Winelands will serve as an alternate airport for fuel planning, improving operational resilience and saving airlines significant costs. “Just by existing, Cape Winelands Airport will save the industry 22 million litres of fuel a year, cutting about 60 million kilograms of carbon emissions,” Ferguson notes.
Proven players, long-term vision
Growthpoint’s involvement brings institutional rigour to an ambitious private sector vision. The property giant – with assets worth R155.8 billion and co-owner of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront – has a strong track record in large-scale, mixed-use precincts.
“Conversations with RSA Aero started several years ago,” says van Antwerpen. “We saw the work done to date was world-class, and that the team isn’t new to developing airports. Senior management developed King Shaka airport in KZN and ran Cape Town airport for more than 10 years.”
Under the partnership, Growthpoint will assume long-term property and asset management responsibilities across logistics, commercial and hospitality components, ensuring institutional standards in governance and delivery.
Designed for sustainability
Cape Winelands Airport also aims to be “the greenest airport in the world,” embedding renewable energy, off-grid water recycling and a fynbos nature reserve into its design.
For Growthpoint – which targets carbon neutrality by 2050 – the alignment is strategic. “Cape Winelands Airport’s environmental goals enhance its commercial viability,” van Antwerpen says. “We have deep experience in green building design, renewable electricity generation and electricity wheeling from large-scale renewable generators.”
A new growth corridor
Ferguson likens the long-term vision to Midrand’s evolution from buffer zone to economic hub between Johannesburg and Pretoria. “Cape Winelands Airport will act as the economic and spatial connector between Cape Town and the Winelands,” he says. “Like Midrand, it will attract businesses, education, housing and innovation – but with the added advantage of being designed for 21st-century sustainability from the start.”
Cape Winelands Airport has received Environmental Authorisation (EA) from the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP), marking a key step forward in the planned airport expansion. The authorisation was officially issued on 27 October 2025.
“The granting of Environmental Authorisation is an important validation of the extensive work and consultation that has gone into ensuring this project meets the highest environmental and community standards,” said Deon Cloete, Managing Director, Cape Winelands Airport.
“We are mighty pleased with this positive outcome and grateful for all the support and encouragement received over the years. This is truly a milestone made possible with the support of our stakeholders, partners and the community”.
