Air transport is one of Africa’s most luxurious means of transport, besides road, railway, and water. However, air transportation is one of the best methods used in promoting tourism, economic growth, and countries’ infrastructure to mention but a few. In no particular order, let’s dive into the top 20 airports in Africa, regardless of the pandemic that caused a global shutdown.
1. East London Airport (South Africa)
This is one of those small airports contributing to the Eastern Cape province’s development on the southeast coast of South Africa. The airport offers about 30 flights each day, transporting about 946,000 people to East London each year. Foreign tourists make 15% of the total number of people who travel, and they estimate local holidaymakers to be about 540,000. The airport was opened in 1927. It is on an elevation of 435 ft that is approximately 133 meters above mean sea level and has a paved runway with two asphalt measuring 1,939 by 46 meters for the 11/29 runway 06/24 is 1,585 by 46 meters.
2. Seychelles International Airport (Seychelles)
Known as “Aéroport de la Pointe Larue” in French, the international airport is on Mahe’s island near Victoria’s capital city. The airport is 11 kilometers, estimated to be 6.8m as it forms district parts of Anse aux Pins’ administration (in the south and military base), La Pointe Larue (terminal area), and Cascade (in the North). An interesting fact about the Seychelles International Airport is that it’s a center for inter-island travel with its domestic flight services and connects international flights to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
3. Kigali International Airport (Rwanda)
It’s a primary serving airport in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. They formerly called it Grégoire Kayibanda International Airport and referred to as Kanombe International Airport. This could be because it’s in the eastern part of Kigali, Kanombe. The airport is a transit airport for Bukayu and Goma in the east of DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and a central air gateway to Rwanda.
4. O.R Tambo International Airport Johannesburg (South Africa)
This airport has changed its name three times from Jan Smuts International Airport to Johannesburg International Airport to now O.R Tambo International Airport, named after Nelson Mandela’s political party’s homage. The airport is in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa that serves as a primary airport for international and domestic travel in South Africa. Named one of Africa’s busiest airports, the airport handles up to 20 million passengers annually. It is 23km northwest of the city,46km south of Pretoria, and accounts for about 50% of air traffic flows of South Africa.
5. Marrakesh Menara Airport (Morocco)
According to a couple of sites, the airport served over 6.3 million passengers in 2019 in the Marrakesh Safi region, Morocco’s capital city, catering for both International and domestic flights. The airport offers a large parking space that fully accommodates its aircraft. They built the ILS Cat II landing site in the airport to help the planes in their descent. It also receives several flights from European Flights, Casablanca, and other Arab nations. The Swiss Architects E2A Architecture designed the terminal extension of the Marrakesh Menara Airport in 2008.
6. Cape Town International Airport (South Africa)
It’s a primary international airport serving Cape Town as it’s the second busiest airport in South Africa and the fourth most dynamic in Africa that makes it part of this list of best Airports in Africa. The airport has direct flights from two of the country’s leading urban areas: Johannesburg, Durban, and several destinations around Africa, Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Asia, and other South African locations. In 2011, the airport was labeled the ninth busiest air route and estimated to have 4.5 passengers and has been a significant airport since they opened it in 1954. It replaced Wingfield Aerodrome that they had initially named after South African prime minister DF Malan.
Cape Town International Airport is the 3rd largest airport on the African continent and the second runway to facilitate large aircraft to meet future demand. It’s also named Africa’s best airport in the 2020 World Airport Awards and second in categories that include best airport staff in Africa category and 10 to 20 million passenger’s classes.
7. Mohammed V International Airport of Casablanca (Morocco)
In 2014, they estimated the airport to have over 8 million passengers, and in 2019 it registered 10,306,293 passengers landing it in a spot-on Africa’s best airports. The airline operates across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and it’s the central hub for Royal Air Maroc, RAM Express, and Air Arabia Maroc, known as national carriers. It is 30 kilometers southeast of Casablanca, Morocco’s biggest city, in the Atlantic Ocean. The airport is named after the late Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco.
8. King Shaka International Airport Durban (South Africa)
It is in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 34 kilometers or 21 miles, and a primary airport that serves Durban’s city center that replaced Durban International Airport. The airport has a 102,000 square meter passenger terminal, 15,000 square meter cargo terminal, and 3,700 runways. The airport’s passenger capacity is estimated to be over 7.5 million per annum, with an ultimate capacity of about 45 million passengers by 2060, air traffic control facilities, cargo facility, vehicle parking bays 6,500, and wastewater treatment plant.
Lastly, they named the airport after King Shaka Ka Senzangakhona, founder of the Zulu Kingdom. It is important to Zulu’s people. It also has a bird radar system linked directly to the control tower, informing of any hazardous bird movements. It’s the first for a commercial airport anywhere in the world. Isn’t that interesting?
9. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (Mauritius)
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is a leading international airport in Mauritius, located southeast of the capital city of Port Louis, 26 miles from the city. Previously known as “Plaisance,” the airport directly flies to various destinations, parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia, and is home to the nation’s airline “Air Mauritius.” The Mauritius government owns shares in the airport as AML (Airports of Mauritius Company Limited) owns and operates the airport.
10. Port Elizabeth International Airport (South Africa)
Port Elizabeth International Airport serves a city in the Eastern province of South Africa. Because of its strategic location, many refer to the airport as a “ten-minute airport” as it’s a minute drive from the central areas in the city beach and central locations. The airport is at an elevation estimated to be 226 feet, approximately 69 meters above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways that include 17/35, 1,677 by 46 meters, and 08/26 that is 1,980 by 46 meters, a terminal building measuring 8,700 square meters (94,000 sq. ft), and 13 aircraft parking bays on the apron.
11. Borg El Arab Airport (Egypt)
It is about 40 kilometers southwest of Alexandria in Borg El Arab Egypt that is a principal airport that serves Alexandria and the nearby areas of the Nile Delta. The airport had significant developments in 2010, such as the cargo and passenger capacity. They design the passenger terminal in a boat-like shape that comprises three floors, like the first floor allocated for checking in. The second floor facilitates allocated arrivals for both international and domestic plus airline and administrative offices, and the third floor is basically for immigration procedures, commercial activities, and departures.
12. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Kenya)
The airport formerly called Nairobi International Airport and Embakasi Airport is Kenya’s biggest aviation facility. The busiest airport in East Africa is located 18 kilometers east of Nairobi with about 40 passenger airlines with 25 cargo airlines. The airport directly connects to the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and other parts of Africa with its 50 scheduled airlines and hub for national carrier Kenya Airways. Kenya Airports Authority owns and operates it.
13. Tunis Carthage Airport (Tunisia)
Tunis Carthage Airport is the largest and busiest in Tunisia that serves the city of Tunisia. It carries over four million passengers per annum with two runways, 2,840 meters X 45 meters and 3,200 meters X 45 meters, and serves airlines from different Middle East, Africa, and European destinations. They named the airport after Carthage’s ancient city and the capital Tunis near the airport.
Tunis Carthage Airport also hubs Nouvelair, Tunisair, and Sevenair. The Office of Civil Aviation Airports (OACA) operates it. It is located northeast of Tunis and is accessible via the A1 motorway, the N8, and 9 roads next to the airport. Charter flights use the two terminals it has.
14. Addis Ababa Bole Airport (Ethiopia)
It is in Bole district, 6 kilometers southeast of the city center and 65 kilometers north of Debre Zeyit. This national airline serves destinations across the African continent and other parts in Ethiopia, South, North America, Europe, and Asia. The airport in 2018 nearly recorded several 450 flights per day for its arrivals and departures. It’s also the base of the Aviation Academy in Ethiopia. They once named this airport Haile Selassie I International.
15. Julius Nyerere International Airport (Tanzania)
They named Julius Nyerere International Airport after the first president of Tanzania in 2006. They once called it Dar es Salaam International Airport. It is located 12 kilometers from Dar es Salaam. In 2014, it handled 77,990 aircraft movements, 21.2 million tons of cargo, and 2.47 million passengers. The airport has two terminals and is operated by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TAA).
16. Hurghada Airport (Egypt)
It is located 5 kilometers from El Dahir downtown of Hurghada. It is famous for its leisure flights from Europe. It’s a tourist center and a holiday destination because of its location on the Red sea. It has an elevation of 16 meters and has two terminals as the second terminal is south and the first terminal is in the North of the airport.
17. Houari Boumediene Airport (Algeria)
This airport is also known as Algiers international airport. It is the primary airport serving Algeria, Algiers. They named Houari Boumediene after Algeria’s former president. Algiers international airport is located 11 miles, approximately 17 kilometers east southeast of Algiers. The airport is a hub for Tassili Airlines and Air Algerie. In 2017, it handed 7,823,634 passengers. They have three terminals. Their first terminal is for international destinations. The second terminal caters to domestic destinations. The last third destination caters to charter pilgrim flights.
18. Sharm El Sheikh Airport (Egypt)
Sharm El Sheikh Airport is in the northeast and 23 kilometers from the Sharm el-Sheikh, a city in Egypt. The Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation own the city. It has two terminals as one terminal handles an estimated capacity of 4.5 million passengers per year. The plans for completing terminal three by 2025 will increase passengers’ capacity by 10 million passengers. It will also cater to about 18 million passengers annually.
19. Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (Zambia)
It is in the central capital city of Zambia, Lusaka, and about 27 kilometers from its business center. It served Lusaka and was named Kenneth Kaunda in honor of Zambia’s first president before Lusaka International Airport. With an elevation of 1,152m, the airport has a passenger capacity estimated to be over 2 million and a hub to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The airport has a runway that is 3.9 kilometers with a width of 45m.
20. Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (Ivory Coast)
This airport is the largest in Ivory Coast and is known as Port Bouët Airport. It is located10 miles from the southeast of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. It’s the central hub of its national airline, “Air Côte d’Ivoire.” It directly connects to over five different airports in Europe, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Middle East, and other various destinations in the rest of Africa. It was named after Ivory Coast’s first president, Félix-Houphouët-Boigny. The airport’s traffic grew at a first-rate. In 2017, it handled an estimate of 2,070,000 million passengers’ highest number since its political and military crisis.
Don’t take stuck selecting an airport for your business or holiday flight. Most African airports are comfortable and extraordinarily offer their best. However, the above mentioned airports have an icing on them that makes them the best in Africa.
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