The Western Cape’s air tourism and trade initiative, Cape Town Air Access (CTAA), has celebrated its tenth anniversary. CTAA is a public-private partnership (PPP), the public side of which embraces national, provincial and city government departments and agencies. CTAA is enabled and supported by Western Cape provincial trade, tourism and investment promotion agency Wesgro.

“Ten years ago, Cape Town’s skies looked very different,” pointed out Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander. “Long-haul connections were limited. If you wanted to fly here from New York, from São Paulo, from much of Asia, you had to connect through Johannesburg, Dubai, or Europe.”

The aim of CTAA was to increase the number of direct international flights to and from Cape Town International Airport (CTIA), from all around the world, including Africa. Since 2015, the initiative has resulted in 33 new international routes coming to CTIA, including 11 to other African destinations.

“[CTAA] is one of the most successful [PPPs] in South Africa,” highlighted Cape Town Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. “In just ten years, international connections have more than doubled, two-way seat capacity has grown to 3.8-million, and international arrivals in Cape Town have increased at an extraordinary rate of 7% per year, far outpacing national economic growth. This initiative shows what is possible when strong partnerships are backed by clear vision: jobs are created, businesses thrive, and our city becomes more resilient and globally competitive.”

As a result of the CTAA initiative, the number of international airlines serving CTIA increased from 17 to 24, and the number of destinations served rose from 14 to 30. The number of inbound flight frequencies went up from 5 150 a year to 9 180 a year. And Cape Town now had direct flights to the US, to New York, Washington DC, and Atlanta.

Last year, CTIA’s international terminal handled more than three-million two-way passengers, the first time it passed that mark. Passenger volumes were 18% above the levels recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic. Air cargo through CTIA also set records in 2024, jumping 25% to hit 75 000 t. And during the first half of this year, cargo volumes rocketed by 56%. International air passenger capacity to and from CTIA, for the coming northern winter/southern summer season, was expected to increase by 11%, which would put it 38% higher than in 2019 (the last year before Covid).

“[CTAA] has demonstrated the power of partnership in driving inclusive economic growth,” affirmed Western Cape Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism Minister Dr Ivan Meyer. “By uniting public and private stakeholders around a shared vision, CTAA has created jobs, grown exports, and attracted investment to our province. It stands as a global benchmark for successful collaboration, showing what can be achieved when we work together to unlock new opportunities.”