Business

Cape Town International Airport Set for R7 Billion Upgrades

April 5, 2019 : By Wire Reporters

During the 2019 Skytrax world Airport Award last week, Cape Town International Airport(CTIA) was awarded as the Best Airport in Africa. 

CTIA has won this award for the 4th consecutive year.

“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” said James Vos, Mayco member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management.

Among the present guests, a few were selected and given an opportunity to explore upgrades that are set to take place at the airport over the next 5 years.

The objective of the opportunity granted to the selected guests was to discover all that the upgrades would cover. It involved meeting up with staff members and gaining first hand information about the airport.

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“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,” Vos said

The key goal of the airport upgrades is to develop its infrastructure and expect to have attained these achievements at the end of the 5 years:

  • A new realigned runway worth R3.93 billion that can accommodate landing and departure of 45 aircraft. An increase from 30 aircraft.
  • To refurbish the domestic arrival terminal and expand the international terminal.
  • The R7 billion investment will also allow the CTIA to accommodate large aircraft like Boeing 747-800 or the A380.

Speaking of the project, Economic Opportunities, MEC Beverly Schafer said, 

“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.”
Deon Cloete, CEO of the airport added, “ 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.
“We remain committed to delivering a quality service and ensuring that the passenger experience at the airport is always hassle-free. We recognise that we are a part of an award-winning value chain within the city and that we play a very serious role as a key touch point in Cape Town.”
The Cape Town air access, launched in 2015, is a partnership between the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, Airports Company South Africa, Cape Town Tourism, South African Tourism, Wesgro, and private sector partners.

Here are some of its achievements so far.

  • Facilitating 18 route expansions
  • Landing 13 new routes.
  • In 2017, it achieved 10.7 million passengers after doubling the international seat capacity by 1.5 million seats
  • In 2017 it also grew its international passengers by 20% reaching a total of 2.4 million.

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