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The Cape Winelands Airport is set to soar in 2027, offering both local and international flights.

With cutting-edge facilities and first-class service, it promises to redefine the travel experience.

Around 13 kilometres northeast of Durbanville, on a sprawling 150-hectare site, the new airport is ideally located to serve the Cape Town aviation sector.

The storyed airport was previously known as the Fisantekraal Airfield, built in 1943 to serve as an operational base for the South African Air Force. It featured four runways and was home to Lockheed Ventura bombers during the tumultuous era of World War 2.

Then it became privately owned in 1993. Now owned and operated by RSA.Aero, the Cape Winelands Airport serves as a general aviation facility and is a popular choice for flight training in the Cape Town vicinity. These institutions rely on the airport for vital circuit training and emergency response drills, while private and corporate aircraft occasionally touch down for exclusive passenger transport.

But all that is about to change as big plans are underway to elevate the Cape Winelands Airport into a bustling hub for air travel to Cape Town, BusinessTech notes.

 

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The airport has already unveiled an ambitious R7 billion redevelopment plan, aiming to transform it into a world-class international commercial airport. The first major step is extending and realigning the main runway to a massive 3,500 meters.

Currently, the airport boasts four runways—two inactive, and the remaining 700 metres and 900 metres long. Plans also include the construction of a passenger terminal capable of handling 5.2 million passengers annually, all with the core vision of creating a seamless gateway to Cape Town.

The developers also want it to go beyond an aviation hub and be used as a driver of regional economic development and local community inclusion. Cargo terminals, aircraft hangars, a hotel, a heliport, warehousing and logistics facilities, and a commercial real estate development are also planned.

“We are eagerly anticipating our future role in the city’s dynamic travel and tourism landscape,” the Cape Winelands Airport said.

Construction to expand the airport is slated to begin early next year, pending the finalisation of all necessary approvals.

“If all our applications are approved, we will begin transforming the airport by realigning the runway, adding new airside infrastructure, and constructing a boutique terminal,” it said.

Cape Winelands Airport announced in August that its environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the proposed airport expansion was underway, which evaluates the potential impact of the airport expansion and the development in the area. The Cape Winelands Airport has pledged its commitment to sustainability by embracing eco-friendly practices and cutting-edge technologies. This includes harnessing groundwater resources, running operations on renewable energy, and implementing an environmentally conscious design throughout the facility.

Then, by the time you look up to the sky, the airport will have been transformed and opened to local and international flights in 2027.

 

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One of the biggest perks of the Cape Winelands Airport is that it can serve as an alternative destination for international airlines and offers airlines a more viable alternate airport for diversion planning.

Large airlines usually need to carry extra fuel to abide by the aviation rules of Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) or alternatively, O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. But now with the Cape Winelands Aiport in the mix, airlines can cut down significantly on the extra fuel they need to carry.

In this way, Cape Winelands Airport will reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by reducing the fuel burden by up to 10,000 kg per flight. Independent estimates indicate that the airport will help airlines save millions of kilograms of fuel, while significantly enhancing cargo-carrying capacity.

This extra competition in the aviation world will also result in more affordable and accessible air travel and make travelling to Cape Town more convenient.

[source:businesstech]