Cape Town International Airport is set to receive a R7bn (€450m) upgrade, commencing in 2020.
The project is estimated to take four years to complete, and will include a new runway, and new international and domestic departure lounges due to be completed by 2023.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has said that the expansion is necessary to meet growing demand at the airport. The realigned 3 500-metre runway will allow larger aircraft to land at the airport, such as the Airbus A380; with future expansion of the airport terminal towards the runway in the pipeline, at a cost or R3.9bn (€250.7m).
The domestic arrivals terminal will also be expanded, at a cost of R688m (€44.2m) and the baggage hall will be enlarged to accommodate additional baggage collection carousels. The meet-and-greet area will be reconfigured.
Acsa says the growth of the airport will soon see the international terminal reaching capacity, so a second terminal will be constructed at a cost of R2.8bn (€180m).
“While we will do our best to limit the disruption and impact on passengers we ask in advance that airport users please bear with us – any discomfort experienced will be well worth it,” Deidre Davids, spokesperson for Acsa, told Business Insider South Africa in an interview.
A number of airline expansions took place last year through the Western Cape Government’s Air Access Project, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town and Acsa. These included three new airlines adding flights to Cape Town, with these using the airport to expand their offerings.
Beverley Schafer, Western Cape Economic MEC, said the airline expansions were set to add R620m (€39.9m) of spend to the provincial tourism industry.
