LOCAL NEWS - As far as passenger numbers are concerned, 2025 was George Airport's busiest year - ever.

The latest Cape Town Air Access figures released by Wesgro reveals that the regional airport handled over 911 000 two-way passengers last year - a year-on-year growth of 11%. 

In December alone, just under 96 000 passengers passed through the terminal, a growth rate of 3% compared to December 2024.

The airport is operating at full capacity and the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is intending to spend R310m to double George Airport's passenger capacity by the end of 2028. 

The upgrade should start in October this year and is expected to be completed in three years.  

Work on emergency and perimeter roads already started last year and runway rehabilitation and terminal expansion are also on the list.

Frequent flyers in and out of George will also be happy to hear that the instrument landing system is also being upgraded to ensure that planes can land when the weather is poor. 

Cape Town International

Cape Town International Airport also had a record-breaking year.

For the first time in its history, the airport processed more than 11.1 million two-way passengers in a single year. 

This is the first time ever that Cape Town International has reached the 11 million passengers' milestone. 

International travel grew strongly, with 3.3 million two-way international passengers, up 7% year-on-year, while domestic travel also increased by 7%, reaching 7.8 million passengers.

December 2025 alone set a new festive-season record, with 1.12 million two-way domestic and international passengers moving through the airport.

Noko Masipa, MPP, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, said these record-breaking figures confirm that the Western Cape remains South Africa’s most attractive and competitive tourism destination. 

"Every additional flight route secured by Wesgro and the provincial government brings more visitors to our shores and delivers more jobs, bolsters local businesses and creates greater economic opportunities for people throughout the province.”

Cape Town International Airport cuts a pretty picture at night. Photo: Wesgro

Air Cargo Update

Air cargo volumes for the Western Cape continue to show year-on-year growth, with an increase of 42% for the first 10 months of 2025 reaching just over 80 000 metric tonnes, showcasing its importance to the logistics sector in the province. 

Air cargo volumes reached just over 9 100 metric tonnes in October, which represents a steady year-on-year growth of 16% when compared to the same period in 2024.

The export/import split for the year-to-date 2025 was 57/43, with exports and imports growing by 41% and 44%, respectively, on a year-to-year basis. 

Temperature and climate-controlled commodities, such as fish, berries, meat and vegetables, dominated the export market, representing 60% of the total exports. 

Clothing and textile commodities continue to make up the largest share of air trade imports, accounting for 11% of the total imports.

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