Cape Town is home to the African continent’s best airport, according to the Skytrax Best Airports in Africa Awards 2024.
The city’s airport also took two other awards for being the Cleanest Airport in Africa and the airport with the Best Airport Staff in Africa.
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRPORTS DOMINATE
South Africa lays claim to the top three airports in the Africa region.
Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg’s airports are in poll position, with Cape Town International Airport claiming the top spot on the list.
Morocco is also home to two of the continent’s top airports, while the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius also makes it into the top five.
BEST AIRPORTS IN AFRICA
As per the 2024 survey, the top 10 airports in Africa are as follows:
1. Cape Town
2. Durban
3. Johannesburg
4. Casablanca
5. Mauritius
6. Marrakech
7. Addis Ababa
8. Kigali
9. Cairo
10. Nairobi
SKYTRAX AIRPORT AWARDS SURVEY
Travellers from across the globe take part in the airport customer satisfaction survey to decide on winners.
Over 100 customer nationalities participated in Skytrax’s 2023-2024 survey.
CUSTOMER EVALUATIONS
The Skytrax Airport Awards survey evaluates traveller experiences across different airport services and product key performance indicators.
This includes check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.
ALSO READ: Turkish Airlines: Making inroads on the African continent
NEW ROUTE FOR CAPE TOWN AIRPORT
Another victory for Cape Town International Airport is the announcement of the launch of services by Norse Atlantic Airways, from London’s Gatwick Airport.
Norse Atlantic will introduce seasonal flights between Gatwick and Cape Town from 28 October this year.
Flights will be offered three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays using Boeing 787 aircraft.
CAPE TOWN FLIGHTS
The move positions the Scandinavian carrier as the third airline offering nonstop flights between London and Cape Town.
Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic also offer flights into Cape Town Airport.
“This new route to South Africa is great news not only for those looking for a fantastic holiday destination but also for trade and inbound tourism.”
Stephanie Wear, VP for aviation development, Gatwick Airport
CAPE TOWN ECONOMY
The launch of this new service is set to benefit Cape Town’s economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism.
Despite being a seasonal route, Norse Atlantic’s flights will contribute significantly to the local economy through increased visitor flows and tourist expenditure.
The airline will offer very reasonable fares on these flights, with return tickets from GBP 499 in economy class.
With its budget fares, the Norwegian low-cost carrier can potentially disrupt the market and stimulate some competition.
CAPE TOWN AIR ACCESS
Cape Town Air Access is a global award-winning air-route development project that works to develop air routes into Cape Town Airport.
The initiative has had much success since 2022, attracting several airlines such as Norse Atlantic to commence flying to the city.
The project (powered by Wesgro) is a focal point for pro-active air route development, for both passengers and air cargo, in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
