Plans are on track to develop the “greenest airport in the world”, providing an improved international gateway to the Cape winelands and Cape Town.
The Cape Winelands Airport (CWA) is in Durbanville on the northeastern edge of the Cape Town metro. Holding company rsa.AERO owns the airport, which primarily serves smaller aircraft.
The plan is to expand the airport to accommodate international airlines, says rsa.AERO MD Nick Ferguson. This will require construction of a strong 3.5km runway capable of carrying wide-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777.
The first phase will likely open in 2027 if everything goes to plan. The R7bn development is in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process; once that is complete, construction will begin.
Ferguson tells the FM that until now the development has been funded off the company’s balance sheet. Further funds will be raised via consortiums of banks and equity partners.
“We’ve got the right people. We’ve got the right product and have an existing airport. So we’re not starting from scratch.
“The fact that we are extending something that already has rights and has been there for 80 years makes it easier. It was actually built before Cape Town International,” he says.
The executive includes CWA MD Deon Cloete, who was GM of Cape Town International Airport from 2008 to 2021 and handled its EIA, and Adele Klingenberg, whose aviation experience includes chief airport planner for the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) network of airports.
Two of the nonexecutive directors, Dirk Ackerman and Monhla Hlahla, served as CEOs of Acsa between 1996 and 2011.
The company also owns airports at Plettenberg Bay and Gariep Dam.
Ferguson says the new airport plans for 2-million passengers by 2030 and 5-million by 2050.
“The economic stimulation to not just the Western Cape economy, but the South African economy, is huge,” he says. “We are also planning on being the greenest airport in the world. By just building it, we [contribute to] saving the environment.”
He says international capacity at CWA will have commercial and ecological benefits.
We’re going to be off-grid for water and power. We’re going to store stormwater on site
— Nick Ferguson
By law, every airline must register an “alternative destination airport” where it will land if it can’t land at its intended destination because of an emergency or poor weather.
For Cape Town, an international airline will generally identify one of the main airports in Joburg (more than 1,400km away) as its alternative destination. This means that with every flight, it must carry sufficient fuel to be able to fly there. CWA, 25km away, will be a much closer alternative. Airlines will have to carry and consume less fuel, which will reduce carbon emissions.
German software company Pace Aerospace Engineering conducted an analysis of the benefits resulting from the fuel weight savings.
It found: “This reduction in fuel consumption and [carbon dioxide] emissions, combined with reduced payload restrictions, creates a real opportunity for airlines to gain operational efficiency as well as maximise their commercial opportunities, thereby ultimately improving the bottom line by millions of euros across their operations into Cape Town.
“Additionally, with the carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation becoming mandatory in 2027 and the airline industry’s commitment to achieving carbon net zero by 2050, reducing their carbon footprint is becoming increasingly important from a social and cost perspective.”
Ferguson says: “So that’s why we can be the greenest airport in the world, just by building it. We’re going to be off-grid for water and power. We’re going to store stormwater on site. We’re going be as green as you can be for an airport.”
He says CWA recently signed a “pay as you plan” agreement with the Lufthansa Group, which supports the need for another airport in Cape Town. It is also talking to other airlines, including those in the Middle East.
Advanced technology at the CWA will help swift processing of passengers.
The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government are supporting the airport’s application for an international licence. Both levels of government are planning major improvements to road and water infrastructure in the fast-developing area.
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