A few kilometres outside of Mother City is a little-known airport that will soon be a new entry point to the Winelands region. Once known as Fisantekraal Airfield, the rechristened Cape Winelands Airport has connectivity into the sought-after tourist region with arterial roads to Drakenstein, Paarl and Stellenbosch.
“We are thrilled to introduce our airport expansion to the Cape Winelands region”, said Deon Cloete, managing director of Cape Winelands Airport at a recent media briefing. “This facility represents a commitment to providing world-class transportation options, promoting tourism, and stimulating economic growth in our beautiful region.”
Cape Winelands Airport will be the focus of an extensive, R7b expansion project, all of it privately sourced. The eventual aim is to offer a range of domestic and international flight options.
Major upgrades to the existing facilities include a new main landing strip that, at 3,5 km, will be able to handle widebody aircraft. This is key to enabling the facility to process 1,7 million passengers per annum from day one. That figure is projected to grow to five million tourists by 2050. These travellers will be treated to an airport experience like no other.
Development plans include vineyards as part of the precinct’s landscape. This aesthetic will be used to portray the region’s wine culture. The area will also feature a plaza, a luxury hotel, a conference centre, a wine-tasting experience, an outdoor amphitheatre that can accommodate up to 5 000 people, private hangars and an aviation museum. All of this will be situated in a park-like environment.
The terminal itself will play host to a diverse selection of high-quality dining establishments and boutique shopping outlets, The airside area of the airport will include a botanical garden with a collection of fynbos, and foliage that is endemic to the region.
Interestingly, the airport aims to be self-sufficient. Its developers want to be self-reliant on water and electricity as far as possible. Solar and chicken manure biogas will help power its facilities and operations. A state-of-the-art water recycling system will be able to conserve and purify water. Composting will be another initiative to reduce the facility’s environmental impact.
Alderman James Vos, City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for economic growth, said of the new development: “The Cape Winelands Airport is more than just a construction project; it is a launchpad of economic revitalisation. It promises to create jobs, support local business, and enhance our city’s competitive edge. The strategic placement of the airport is an intentional move to expand our connectivity, creating new business and new tourism nodes.”
