Cape Town International Airport achieved record passenger traffic at its international terminal in 2023 and expectations are that growth will continue throughout 2024, according to Wesgro, the official tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape.
The airport’s international terminal reported year-on-year growth of 48% last year, with 2.8-million two-way passengers processed, improving on the previous benchmark of 2.6-million recorded in 2019.
The record growth at the airport’s international terminal is higher than the global growth in international traffic in 2023. International traffic climbed 41.6% last year versus 2022 and reached 88.6% of prepandemic 2019 levels, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This is despite challenges faced by airlines, such as labour shortages, supply chain constraints, high inflation and geopolitical tensions.
African airlines’ annual traffic rose 38.7% in 2023 from the prior year. Their full-year 2023 capacity was up 38.3% and their load factor climbed 0.2 percentage points to 71.9%, still the lowest among all the global regions, according to IATA.
“The recovery in air travel is good news. The restoration of connectivity is powering the global economy as people travel to do business, further their education, take hard-earned vacations and much more,” said IATA director-general Willie Walsh.
“But to maximise the benefits of air travel in the postpandemic world, governments need to take a strategic approach.”
Walsh said that means providing cost-efficient infrastructure to meet demand, incentivising sustainable aviation fuel production to meet the aviation industry’s net-zero carbon emission goal by 2050, and adopting regulations that deliver a clear cost benefit.
“Completing the recovery must not be an excuse for governments to forget the critical role of aviation to increasing the prosperity and wellbeing of people and businesses the world over,” he said.
As for air cargo, Wesgro reports that congestion at the Cape Town Port led to increased volumes at Cape Town International Airport and many airlines reported positive increases over December and January. Wesgro said it expects exporters and shippers of high-value fruit and other perishables to continue to look for alternatives to ports in 2024. Air cargo, though more expensive, is a viable option, the agency said.
“In normal times, it delivers some 35% of the value of goods traded across borders. In the pandemic, air cargo brought medical supplies and vaccines to where they were needed. And today it is providing a vital transport alternative for some products as Red Sea shipping lanes face geopolitical uncertainty. Air cargo’s success matters,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s global head of cargo.
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