Cape Town Airport Arrivals (CPT)

Flight Arrivals at Cape Town Airport

Cape Town International Airport is a major gateway to one of the most popular cities in South Africa. About a million and a half passengers arrive at this airport every year from international destinations, while well over 10 million passengers from South Africa travel through the airport on a yearly basis. Cape Town Airport is the second largest airport in South Africa, and is located approximately 20 km from the city center of Cape Town, in the Western Cape region of the country. It is also the third largest airport on the whole African continent. Arriving passengers will find a variety of facilities at the airport, and a range of transport options to various destinations.

The most prominent airline companies which serve Cape Town International Airport are South African Airways, South African Express, Kulula.com, Mango and British Airways. South African Airways offers flights between London-Heathrow and Cape Town, while South African Express flies from domestic regions such as Bloemfontein, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, as well as from destinations such as Maputo, Walvis Bay and Windhoek-Hosea Kutako. Kulula.com and Mango offer less expensive flights from destinations such as Johannesburg, Lanseria, Durban and Bloemfontein. The destination of London-Heathrow is also served by British Airways. Other airline companies in operation at Cape Town Airport include Lufthansa, KLM, Air Namibia, Air Mauritius, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Velvet Sky.

Cape Town International Airport consists of five modern terminal buildings, and the newly constructed Central Terminal, which now connects the once-separate international and domestic terminals. Arriving passengers will enter the airport on the lower levels of their relevant terminals (either domestic or international), while all departures are handled from the upper levels of the buildings. However, some parts of the lower areas are used for transporting passengers to more remotely located aircraft by shuttle bus. The new Central Terminal opened in March 2010, in good time for the FIFA World Cup, of which South Africa received hosting rights to the final tournament. New arrival areas were also developed in order to efficiently utilize the Central Terminal, and the international and domestic arrival areas are now directly linked to the new building via passage ways. This area now contains an automated baggage handling system capable of loading 30,000 bags per hour.

Passengers with some time to spare at the airport will find numerous facilities within the terminal buildings. The ground floor food court offers a couple of restaurants and fast-food outlets, such as Steers, Boost Juice, Mugg and Bean, the Wimpy, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and the Spur. The Spur is a very popular family restaurant in South Africa, and is found at many locations in every city. This particular branch at Cape Town Airport is in fact the largest of all the Spur restaurants in Africa, measuring a huge 1,080 square meters. Banking services by the local banks of ABSA, Nedbank and FNB (First National Bank) are available in the Domestic Arrivals Terminal, and a Master Currency Bureau is found in the International Arrivals Terminal. Additional facilities include left baggage offices, baby changing areas, public telephones and mobile phone rentals. The businesses of Vodashop Rent a Fone and MTN Mobile Phone Rental can be found in the international terminal, while the Vodashop is also available in the domestic terminal.

Nearby the airport building, business clients have access to the Airport Conference Center. Rooms of various sizes for meetings and other functions can be found in the Southern Office Block alongside the Domestic Terminal (Terminal 5). There are four rooms available, each suitable for various purposes. They are ideal for between six and eighty delegates, and range from spacious and modern conference or training areas to executive boardrooms. Clients can make further enquiries from the email address of airport.conference@airports.co.za. There are also contact numbers available on the official website of the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which is the management company of Cape Town Airport, and many other airports in Africa.

Cape Town’s airport is accessible to disabled passengers with various facilities and equipment available for their comfort. There are reserved parking bays at all levels of the airport, as well as ramps and special lifts to facilitate movement within the buildings. There are also disabled toilet areas and wheelchairs available for use. Passengers arriving at the airport who will require additional assistance with arrival procedures should make arrangements with their airline company at least 48 hours in advance of the departure flight.

When its time to leave the airport, passengers can take the MyCiTi Bus to the Civic Center in the Central Business District of Cape Town, or hire a taxi for transport to any destination within the city. Many hotels offer complimentary transport from the airport to their location, and these services should be requested by the customer at the time of booking the accommodation. There are also other shuttle services available on arrival at Cape Town Airport, or which can be reserved in advance. Companies offering this type of transport include Noble Travel and Tours, City Hopper and Centurion Tours. There is no direct rail connection at the airport, but a few trains run in the city to various destinations.

Many passengers arriving at Cape Town International Airport prefer to hire a car from one of the many car rental companies with offices in the terminals. The best way to explore the beautiful Western Cape is by motorcar, and arriving passengers will easily be able to drive to the Planetarium, Two Oceans Aquarium, Castle of Good Hope and the beaches of Clifton, Camps Bay, Noordhoek and Bloubergstrand, which are all popular attractions in the city of Cape Town.