Cape Town Air Access (CTAA) – a division of the tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, Wesgro – will use its presence at this week’s AviaDev Africa 2023 to foster sustainable air connectivity to Cape Town and the broader African continent.

AviaDev kicks off in Nairobi tomorrow (June 14-16) bringing together airports, airlines, tourism authorities, governments, and industry suppliers. AviaDev offers attendees the ability to pre-arrange meetings, learn from industry peers and make connections.

Furthermore, it promotes meaningful engagement with the African aviation landscape, providing an opportunity to identify new direct routes and expand on existing frequencies.

"Our presence at AviaDev Africa 2023 underscores the project’s commitment to this,” said Wrenelle Stander, official Spokesperson for Cape Town Air Access.

"Together with our project partners, Cape Town Air Access has consistently demonstrated its ability to achieve results. For the Iata Winter Season (Nov-Mar) 2022/23, the project welcomed four direct new routes and three new airlines to Cape Town International Airport, resulting in a capacity increase of 200 000 two-way seats over the period,” she added.

According to Stander, African aviation has proved to be resilient, with two-way passengers between Cape Town and the rest of Africa growing by 80% year-on-year from 2021 to 2022. Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana were the top three countries for two-way passengers in 2022, with Lagos and Lusaka being the top unserved African destinations for the province.

Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, said: “More routes and increased frequencies have a direct impact on the province’s economy. The international terminal at Cape Town International Airport saw a 90% year-on-year growth for the first four months of 2023 – when compared with the same period in 2022 – with over one million passengers passing through the terminal.”

She pointed out that, beyond the tourism boost, one million passengers held the promise of a potential investment, a potential trade deal being struck, a potential event being hosted in the province, and a potential film crew returning to shoot their next blockbuster.

"The City recognises aviation as a key pillar for our mission to realise a tourism-related job in every household in the metro. Cape Town International Airport witnessed a fantastic rebound in air travellers in the past year, and through our campaigns and work with the Air Access initiative, we look set for even better growth in the months ahead,” commented Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth at the City of Cape Town, James Vos.

He added: “The growing air connectivity into Cape Town is providing immeasurable stimulus to our city and region when the country needs to attract business investment and also grow its tourism. This initiative has enormous potential to expand and deliver greater job creation and economic benefits.”