The cities of Cape Town and Durban are home to two of the best airports in the world.
Cape Town International Airport and King Shaka International Airport were recently featured at the 2025 Skytrax World Airport Awards, where both sites achieved notable accolades.
Cape Town took home three titles, winning the Best Airport in Africa, Best Airport Staff Service in Africa, and Cleanest Airport in Africa awards.
King Shaka, meanwhile, was officially recognized as the Best Regional Airport in Africa.
A win for local travel
The 2025 Skytrax Awards were held on Wednesday, 9 April during the Passenger Terminal Expo in Madrid, Spain.
Skytrax is responsible for the world’s largest annual airport customer satisfaction study, which covers 575 aviation hubs across 100 countries.
The most recent study ran from August 2024 until February 2025, providing Skytrax with the data it used to determine the winners of each category.
This includes key performance metrics that encompass every aspect of a passenger’s journey, from check-in to arrivals, transfers, shopping, security, and gate departures.
The results ultimately concluded that Cape Town International and King Shaka are two of the top-performing airports on the continent, giving them global recognition.
Special mention must also go to O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg, which did not win any awards for the airport itself but did receive the accolade for its Intercontinental Hotel – named the Best Airport Hotel in Africa.
“(The awards are) a reflection of the dedication of our teams and the faith that passengers continue to place in our airports,” said Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) CEO, Mpumi Mpofu.
“Our goal is to provide a seamless, safe and enjoyable travel experience for all who pass through our airports. These recognitions affirm that we are on the right path and inspire us to continue raising the bar.”
Best airports in the world
While Cape Town and Durban’s airports are considered two of the best in Africa, they are not quite on the same level as some of the other terminals featured in the Skytrax rankings.
The coveted title of the world’s best airport went to Changi Airport in Singapore, which is the 13th time the location has taken the top spot.
What’s more, Singapore took home the gold in other major categories including the World’s Best Airport Dining, the World’s Best Airport Washrooms, and the Best Airport in Asia.
The list of the top 20 airports in the world can be seen below:
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Hamad International Airport
- Tokyo International Airport
- Incheon International Airport
- Narita International Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
- Rome Fiumicino Airport
- Munich Airport
- Zurich Airport
- Dubai International Airport
- Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
- Vancouver International Airport
- Istanbul Airport
- Vienna International Airport
- Melbourne Airport
- Chubu Centrair International Airport
- Copenhagen Airport
- Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
- Bahrain International Airport
In comparison, Cape Town International came 62nd while O.R. Tambo landed 75th and King Shaka was 83rd.
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