Acsa finally reveals R10bn overhaul of Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) – SA’s fastest growing air hub that’s busting beyond current capacity during peak periods like December and during the week of Mining Indaba – is finally set to get its long-awaited upgrade and expansion.

The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) on Friday revealed initial plans for the airport’s multi-billion-rand overhaul, which will happen over a number of phases over the next decade.

Read: Cape Town airport breaks all records with 11.1m passengers in 2025

It released the first renderings of the airport plans on Friday showing the initial upgrades earmarked for the domestic and international terminals.

However, the much bigger new runway/runway realignment development plans, which will take up most of the overall capex plans for CTIA is also being finalised.

“A flagship component of the CTIA upgrade programme is the new, realigned main runway, currently estimated at approximately R6.39 billion, with contractor appointment planned for December 2026,” Acsa confirmed in a statement.

It said  “complementing the runway project” is the expansion of the domestic terminal building and domestic arrivals area, which is set to commence in April next year. These two more immediate developments will cost almost R3 billion.

However, Acsa noted that the projects are still subject to final regulatory approvals and procurement processes.

“The expansion will significantly enhance passenger processing capacity, improve circulation, and modernise the overall terminal environment in line with projected demand growth,” it said.

More airbridges

“The programme also provides for additional domestic contact gates and airbridges, as well as expanded apron capacity to support increased aircraft parking and improved aircraft movement flow,” Acsa added.

The state-owned airport company, which currently has a monopoly in SA, will also embark on phased developments of CTIA’s international terminal building, currently estimated at R863 million.

“These enhancements include additional apron stands, expanded commercial and lounge offerings, and improvements to immigration processing and bussing gates,” Acsa said.

“Collectively, the identified capacity development projects at Cape Town International Airport are currently estimated at approximately R10.143 billion,” it added.

This means the CTIA expansion will take up most of Acsa’s current R21.7 billion overall capex plans for its major airports in South Africa, including OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), Durban’s King Shaka International, and George Airport, as well as its two airports in the Eastern Cape.

Thabo Phateng, acting regional general manager of CTIA, said Acsa’s sustained infrastructure investment into the air gateway was of strategic importance.

“These planned developments represent a significant step in strengthening Cape Town International Airport’s role as a critical economic gateway for the Western Cape and South Africa.

“By expanding capacity and enhancing operational resilience, we are positioning the airport to support sustained passenger growth, tourism expansion, trade facilitation and long term regional economic development,” added Phateng.

City of Cape Town welcomes investment

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town’s MMC for Economic Growth James Vos hailed Acsa’s announcement.

“As a critical economic gateway, this investment will strengthen our city and province’s competitiveness and better position us to realise future growth opportunities,” he said.

Vos added that the overhaul of CTIA was not simply a matter of modernising infrastructure, he said it is essential to ensure Cape Town’s air access keeps pace with demand.

“Expanding capacity, improving passenger flow, and enhancing the traveller experience will help us capture more flights from key source markets, unlock new routes, and sustain the momentum that is already driving record passenger growth,” he noted.

He said Cape Town has experienced remarkable growth in air connectivity and passenger volumes.

“During the peak 2025/26 schedule, Cape Town International Airport hosted 228 international flights every week connecting the Western Cape to more than 30 global destinations, a clear sign that our Cape Town Air Access programme, strategic tourism campaigns, and city-to-city agreements are delivering more direct routes, more visitors, and stronger global ties,” he added.

“We will closely monitor the implementation of this project, given its scale and significance as a major capital investment in a critical piece of economic infrastructure. We are extremely keen to see the successful delivery of this upgrade, which will benefit visitors and local communities alike,” said Vos.

Read:
Behind Cape Town International Airport’s planned expansion
Multi-billion-rand Cape Town and OR Tambo airport expansions to go ahead

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