South Africa has been named as Africa’s largest tourist economy. If the numbers of visitors continue to grow, then serious infrastructure upgrades are needed to cope with the influx of tourists. Thankfully, this is exactly what the country is getting. One of the most substantial changes will be the R7 billion upgrade on Cape Town Airport. Expected to be complete before 2025, a new runway will be able to cope with larger aircrafts and more easily manage the growth of tourist numbers.
Flying More Popular Than Ever
Middle class and urban populations are growing, which means that air travel is expected to double in just two decades. Airports around the world are in a race against time to make the necessary changes to cope with this influx. For North American, Asian, European, and Australian tourists, South Africa can only realistically be reached by air. The growth of air mile loyalty points, budget travel, and faster flight times means that an African adventure is accessible to anyone who earns a decent wage. South Africa is a safe and stable country, but offers everything a nature lover could possibly ask for. As a result, Cape Town airport has to expand.
What Upgrades Are Planned?
The city of Cape Town has partnered up with Wesgro to provide the funding for massive infrastructure projects. Since 2015, there has already been a doubling of airline seat capacity to 1.5 million. This is the result of 18 route expansions and 13 entirely new routes added to the schedule. Within two years, these expansions led to 20 million more passengers using Cape Town International Airport.
From 2019, yet more building projects are planned. Almost R4 billion of the R7 billion budget is being put towards a new, bigger runway. This will be able to take in the largest aircraft, including the Boeing 747-800, so more people can arrive at once. The number of landings per hour is expected to increase from 30 to 45. The terminal will also be receiving a major refurbishment. This coincides with the government’s e-Visa scheme, which makes the process for visiting South Africa both cheaper and simpler.
Tourism is one of South Africa’s most important industries. Expanding Cape Town airport to cope with millions more tourists will create countless jobs and allow money to flow into the country. This can only be a good thing, and can be spent on building new infrastructure for the local community.
