The Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has been named the best airport in Africa for an eleventh consecutive year.
During the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards, the South African airport also received awards for the best staff among airports in Africa, as well as recognition as the cleanest airport on the continent.
The World Airport Awards have been operating since 1999, and have become prestigious accolades for the airport industry, voted for by customers in the largest annual global airport customer satisfaction survey.
They are based on the World Airport Survey, assessing customer service and facilities across over 575 airports by customers from more than 100 nationalities.
The survey evaluated customer experience across airport services – from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security/immigration through to departure at the gate – between August 2025 and February 2026.
Alongside the Cape Town International Airport, other South African airports were also recognised at the awards, including O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) and the King Shaka International Airport.
Fani Mphaphuli, Acting Group Executive of Operations Management at the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), lauded the performance of local airports.
“These prestigious recognitions from the Skytrax World Airport Awards are a powerful affirmation of the dedication, resilience, and professionalism of our employees, partners, and stakeholders across the country,” she said.
“We are immensely proud of our people, who consistently go above and beyond to deliver safe, efficient, and seamless travel experiences to millions of passengers.”
Mphaphuli added that the World Airport Awards not only celebrate excellence, but also inspire ACSA to continue to raise the bar as it positions South Africa as a leading aviation hub on the continent.
Award-winning airports
Despite the CTIA being the big winner, several international and regional airports in South Africa received accolades for their performance in 2025.
O.R. Tambo International Airport was named the second-best airport in Africa, while its hotel, the InterContinental O.R. Tambo Airport Hotel, received recognition as a top-five airport hotel in Africa.
King Shaka International Airport was not only recognised as the fourth-best airport in Africa, but also as the second-best regional airport on the continent.
Most notably, the airport in KwaZulu-Natal was named among the top ten global airports that serve between 5 million and 10 million passengers every year.
The Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha, the fourth-best regional airport in Africa, was joined by the Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein, in fifth, and East London’s King Phalo Airport claiming sixth place.
In terms of global performance, only two South African airports are placed in the top 100; these are the Cape Town International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport.
The CTIA placed 74th, between the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport in China, in 73rd, and Vietnam’s Danang International Airport, in 75th.
ORTIA managed to place 84th, beating New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in 85th, falling just short of Chile’s Santiago International Airport in 83rd.
While both airports managed to cling to their spots in the top 100, the Cape Town International Airport fell twelve places from 62nd in 2025, while O.R. Tambo fell nine places from 75th.
Despite this, their performance remains commendable, with ACSA commending the multiple airports in its network for receiving top honours and rankings.
“These accolades reaffirm ACSA’s commitment to delivering world-class airport infrastructure, operational excellence, and an outstanding passenger experience,” noted the Airports Company.
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