Cape Winelands Airport takes off with R7 billion expansion

Cape Winelands Airport’s redevelopment is moving ahead with a R7 billion plan to improve its commercial operations. 

The airport is located on a 150-hectare site 13 km northeast of Durbanville. It is, therefore, ideally situated to serve the Cape Town aviation sector.

When it was built by the South African Air Force in 1943, it featured four runways to operate Lockheed Ventura bombers.

The airport was previously known as the Fisantekraal Airfield and belonged to the SA Air Force. It became privately owned in 1993. 

The Cape Winelands Airport property was acquired in November 2020 by Cape Winelands Aero. This company is backed by private investors, including Rob Hersov. 

Fly Africa has said that the developers of the airport near Cape Town will proceed with environmental approvals for the redevelopment this month. 

The plan is to convert the airport into an international commercial airport by expanding and realigning the primary runway to a length of 3,500 m. 

It currently has four runways, with two inactive and the others 700 m and 900 m long. 

They also plan to build a passenger terminal that can accommodate 5.2 million annual passengers, with the core goal being to establish a cohesive link with Cape Town.

The developers aim for the airport to be more than just an aviation hub. It will be used as a driver of regional economic development and local community inclusion.

Other developments on this site include cargo terminals, aircraft hangars, a hotel, heliport, warehousing and logistics facilities. 

A commercial real estate development will also be undertaken, depending on demand. 

The developers aim for the airport to emerge as a global leader in sustainability, technology, and growth rates. 

Cape Winelands Airport plans on offering the following services after its redevelopment –

• Scheduled Airline Services for domestic and international passenger and cargo operations.
• General Aviation for domestic and international, unscheduled and private operations.
• Alternate Airport for fuel planning purposes and environmental savings.
• Reliever Airport to add redundancy and diversion capability for aircraft in the region.
• Logistics Hub to catalyse multi-modal commercial activity in the region and stimulate economic growth.
• Commercial Property Developments stimulated and enabled by the above.

The airport has not yet specified when the redevelopment is expected to be completed.

The developers said the Cape Winelands Airport will bring significant economic, operational, and social benefits to the region.

It will reduce airline fuel costs and emissions, improve the business case for air travel, and drive economic growth in the region.

It will also provide additional capacity, improve redundancy, reduce inefficiencies at Cape Town International Airport, and make air travel more affordable and accessible.

Being only 25 kilometres from Cape Town International Airport, it is poised to significantly contribute to environmental sustainability in the aviation industry.

Its proximity offers airlines a more viable alternate airport for diversion planning, alleviating the need to carry an excessive amount of fuel for long-haul flights.

By reducing the fuel burden by up to 10,000kg per flight, Cape Winelands Airport will reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Independent estimates suggest that the airport will collectively save airlines millions of kilograms of fuel and boost cargo-carrying capabilities, demonstrating its immense potential to promote a more environmentally responsible aviation sector.

New Cape Winelands Airport development plan