New Cape Winelands Airport plans revealed
South African billionaire Rob Hersov announced he is planning to convert the former Fisantekraal Airport into the “Lanseria Airport of Cape Town”.
Hersov and business partner Nick Ferguson bought the Fisantekraal Airport in November 2020 and renamed it Cape Winelands Airport.
The airport is located on a 150-hectare site 13 kilometres northeast of Durbanville. It is therefore perfectly situated to serve the Cape Town aviation sector.
When it was built by the South African Air Force in 1943 it featured four runways to operate Lockheed Ventura bombers.
Although all four runways are still visible in overhead photos, only two of these runways are currently in use.
There are numerous aircraft hangars on the property which are used for the storage and maintenance of private aircraft and helicopters.
The picturesque location makes it a favourite for flight training and offers an alternative to the Cape Town International Airport for private aviation.
There are now plans to grow operations at the Cape Winelands Airport and provide an alternative to the Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) for some aviation services.
Cape Winelands Airport
Cape Winelands Airport’s finance and operations manager, Mark Wilkinson told MyBroadband Cape Town needs a smaller second airport to service the general aviation market – i.e. non-scheduled flights.
“General aviation currently uses up valuable space and resources at the Cape Town International Airport,” said Wilkinson.
He added that the general aviation market struggles to operate at the Cape Town International Airport as they compete with big airlines.
The Cape Winelands Airport can alleviate congestion at CTIA by providing a more practical alternative for those in the Northern Suburbs and surrounds.
The process to convert Cape Winelands Airport into a big commercial airport will take many years. This, Wilkinson said, is why they are starting small.
The initial plan is to resurface the existing runways and build more hangars and facilities which are modern and fit for purpose for the operators within the general aviation industry.
While this upgrade is ongoing, they are not closing themselves off to the possibility of landing scheduled traffic.
Wilkinson said by the time they could operate scheduled traffic at the Cape Winelands Airport, CTIA will be bursting at its seams.
With its excellent location in relation to the Cape Town International Airport, the Cape Winelands Airport is well-positioned for growth north of the Cape Town CBD.
Loading ...