City of Cape Town Economic Growth MMC Alderman James Vos has congratulated the State-owned Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) for its investment programme for Cape Town International Airport (CTIA). He was addressing the 2024 Wesgro Western Cape Air Cargo Conference, in Cape Town. (Wesgro is the Western Cape’s trade, investment and tourism promotion agency.)

ACSA’s investment plans for CTIA include a new runway and upgrades to the terminal. He also congratulated ACSA’s CTIA staff for again winning the title of the Best Airport in Africa.

Vos noted that 215 international flights land at CTIA each week. These linked Cape Town to 31 destinations. And aviation sustained 10 600 jobs in the city.

In December, 370 000 two-way passengers had passed through CTIA, he highlighted. And that same month air cargo exports from the airport had totalled 2 800 t, which had been a 52% y-o-y increase. Given that the Port of Cape Town was currently “troubled”, it was particularly good that CTIA’s air cargo infrastructure was in such good shape.

He also expressed support for the planned new private-sector Cape Winelands Airport.

Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander, in her address, pointed out that the number of two-way passengers passing through CTIA in December had been the greatest ever recorded. She also observed that some air cargo originating in the Western Cape was still trucked to Johannesburg and only loaded on to aircraft there. Air cargo operations at CTIA had to be expanded.

Nevertheless, last year had seen two new airlines start services to CTIA, which had increased the province’s exports, and opened new markets for them. And the province was well positioned to take advantage of the global trend of accelerating e-commerce, she affirmed.   

Wesgro would both continue to nurture the province’s traditional markets, such as the UK, US and Africa, and develop new ones, such as China. ‘Made in the Cape’ was the agency’s export brand.

Regarding the Western Cape Air Cargo Conference, this year’s event was its second edition. The first, last year, had had 120 attendees. The 2024 edition had 160 attendees, with 13 airlines represented and exhibiting at it.